Crush Of the Week
by lifeisveryshortsoami
Summary: "Why me?" I begged. "Because you're the only girl Chad has liked for longer than a week. And you're the only one who has never fallen for his charm." A special re-upload for all my amazing FF friends.
1. Prologue

Ok, before everyone starts yelling at me for stealing someone else's story, I am the original author of COW, Crush Of the Week. I took it off FF for personal reasons, but so many of you have requested to have it emailed to you that I have decided it will be much easier just to re-upload. Thank you for your continued interest in this story! It really warms my heart that you guys care enough about my stories to request them even when I've taken them off the site. Seriously. I could reach out and hug every single one of you right now - That's how happy I am!

Since I've decided to continue writing CALF, the third chapter in the COW and BULL series, I've decided I will be re-uploading not only COW, but BULL as well. That way, it'll be a great way to catch up if you're interested in reading CALF. This may take me quite some time to re-upload though. Turns out COW was saved on my old computer and I can't open the files on this laptop, so I have to type everything all over again. Please, be patient with me. Once COW is up, it should not take nearly as long to get BULL back on the site as well. I do have all those chapters on this computer.

Without further ado, I present COW, which is dedicated to anyone who has ever read even one word of my writing. Thank you soooooooo much!

Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.

* * *

Prologue

As much as my cast didn't want to believe me, I did not try to meet up with Chad Dylan Cooper on the way to lunch every day. It just happened. Was it really my fault if I wanted to stop by my dressing room and take a quick break before meeting back up with my cast?

Maybe Chad went back to his dressing room, too, because just like me, he was always alone as he walked to lunch. Somehow, we met up along the way to our shared destination every day. I didn't time myself down to the second so I could leave my dressing room when I knew Chad would be walking by. Actually, I did the opposite and tried to leave at different times every day.

It didn't matter how long I took. Chad was always either a few steps in front or behind me.

Why Tawni, Nico, Grady, and Zora didn't believe me about not trying to meet up with Chad was beyond me. Didn't they see the way Chad and I fought every time we saw each other? Couldn't they tell I was angry by the time I finally joined them at the lunch table? They knew I thought he was just as much as a jerk-throb as they all thought he was, right?

If they knew all that, why would they think I tried to meet up with him? Why would anyone try to meet up with him?

Tawni tried telling me once no one believed me because they all thought I have some kind of secret crush on Chad. I didn't even get a chance to reply to that one; once I started laughing, I couldn't stop. Just the thought of me ever having a crush on someone like Chad was…was…Well, it was crazy!

Sure, Chad was the best looking actor at Condor Studios. He was an alright actor, although he wasn't anywhere close to the greatest of the generation. His one sparkling blue eye was enough to drive me crazy sometimes, during those few moments when he was actually nice to me. The nice Chad was someone I could handle.

But when he turned into the person who started shouting at me for no reason, picking fights when I hadn't done anything wrong, and demanding I was going to fall in love with him by the end of the week when we both knew he was the one in love with me, not the other way around, he transformed into a personality I didn't like and wanted nothing to do with.

His evil side came out a lot more often than his good one.

Even though it was a Saturday, I had a feeling Chad wasn't going to break his habit of meeting up with me on the way to the lunch room (it was his habit, not mine. He must've been the one who worked hard on his timing every day). In the olden days, we hadn't shown up at the same time, although he usually talked to me while I was in line, waiting for my awful food while he received steaks and what not. Since he'd guest starred on So Random! though, he'd been meeting up with me along the way instead. Did he think he had some sort of special invitation to walk with me just because I'd been his co-star for a week?

Apparently that's exactly what he thought. As I stepped out of my dressing room, pulling the door shut behind me, I heard his voice call out my name.

He was early today. Usually we didn't meet up until I was off the So Random! set.

"Should I feel honored today?" I asked sarcastically as I walked to the end of the hallway, which was where he stood waiting for me. "How long has the great Chad Dylan Cooper been waiting for my presence?"

"You should feel honored every time I talk to you. I am me, after all," he replied as we headed toward the lunch room. I rolled my eyes, but he went on before I had a chance to say anything. "And I wasn't waiting for you, Munroe. I just wanted to let you know that today is your last day to say goodbye to your friends."

He kept walking as my feet stopped, not even glancing over his shoulder to make sure I was alright. Stupid Chad and his I-only-care-about-myself attitude.

"What do you mean today's the last day to say goodbye to my friends?" I demanded, running to catch up with him again. "Did you get me fired or something?"

Laughing loudly, Chad stopped walking long enough to put a hand on my shoulder. It wasn't one of his cute moments; he was only using me so he didn't fall to the floor from his laughing fit. I let him use me, waiting for him to stop. As soon as I knew what was going on, I could leave him and forget the conversation had ever happened.

"Funny, funny little Sonny," he said once his laughter died down, moving his hand so he could wipe the corner of that sparkling blue eye. "If I wanted to have you fired, I would've done it a long time ago."

I should've known that wasn't what he was talking about. After all, even if he wouldn't admit it, I knew for a fact he did have a crush on me. Whether it was a big or small crush I didn't know, but it was enough that he wasn't going to get me kicked out of the studios and sent back home to Wisconsin. He'd never get to see me then and would have to find someone new to pick on.

"Well, wait a minute!" I called, following him as he started walking again. "Why do I have to say goodbye then? Chad?"

Another game he liked to play whenever I was around was called Never Tell Sonny What She Wants To Know. I disliked this game even more than Fight With Sonny About Everything. It was too much like the silent treatment.

Unfortunately, Chad liked both games. He kept his mouth shut as I repeatedly asked him what was going on, that stupid smirk of his never leaving his lips. When he realized I wasn't going to shut up anytime soon, he switched games.

"Don't you ever shut your mouth?" he asked me. "You go on and on just like a three year old."

"At least I don't act like a three year old!" I shot back.

"Actually, you just proved yourself wrong by even saying that. A three year old would fight back. Someone your age would know enough to drop it."

We were still fighting by the time we reached the lunch room. I could see my cast, all sitting at the same table we sat at every day, roll their eyes as I passed them. I ignored them, too busy arguing to stop long enough to tell them once again that I wasn't in love with Chad. Besides, I still had to find out why I had to tell them goodbye.

As Chad and I made our way across the room to the place where food was served, I decided it was time to get back to the topic at hand. I'd be leaving him soon so he could sit with his cast and I could join mine, so if he was going to tell me the truth, it was going to have to be now.

"Alright, Chad, enough," I said, putting a stop to our current fight. "Tell me why I have to tell my friends goodbye today."

"I almost forgot about that. You see, Sonny, I-," He stopped talking as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Ohh, hold on for one moment, please. I have a text message to answer."

"You've avoided my question long enough, Cooper! You can answer your text after you talk to me!"

Did I really think Chad would listen? As though he couldn't hear me at all, he kept typing into his phone. At least he was a fast texter; he slipped the phone away less than thirty seconds later.

"What was I saying?" He studied me before holding a finger into the air, nodding his head happily. "Ah, yes, why you have to say goodbye. It appears that my guest starring on your show brought in quite a few viewers."

"We get a lot of viewers every week," I protested. "Believe it or not, Chad, but some people do like to laugh."

"Although I would love to argue with you about that, I would like to eat my lunch before it gets cold," Chad explained, rolling his eyes again. "Anyway, since my director saw how high the rating on So Random! were after my episode, he wanted to know what would happen if So Random!'s best actress guest starred on Mackenzie Falls."

Instead of finishing his explanation, he looked at me, waiting to see if I was going to catch on.

My worst nightmare was coming true. If Mackenzie Falls was anything like So Random!, it took them a week to shoot an episode. Was Chad really trying to tell me I was stuck for an entire week? A week of hanging out with his cast instead of mine. A week of him being around me way, way, way too much. A week of serious acting instead of making my viewers laugh.

Couldn't he have gotten me fired instead?

Before I could say a word, a loud scream echoed through the room. When I turned to around to see who it was, I saw a girl running away as fast as she could, a cell phone that must've been hers left lying on the floor.

"Did you just break up with that girl?" I asked Chad, remembering the text message he'd just answered.

"That's not important," he said, holding his head a little too high. "What is important is that, starting tomorrow, you will no longer be funny. You will sit by my cast during meals, hang out with us during your free time, and you will do the best acting of your life on filming day. Do you understand me?"

Oh yeah, I forgot the absolute worst part of joining the Mackenzie Falls cast for a week: Chad was going to be my boss. Although the show did have a director and camera crew and everything to tell the cast when it was time to film, Chad was the one who ran the rehearsals and the lives of his cast mates. If I didn't do whatever he told me to do, I would be in some deep water when Marshall got word of it. As a guest, he'd expect me to be on my best behavior.

Chad must've been able to tell I wasn't having pleasant thoughts. He smiled, placed his hand on my shoulder again, and tried in his own way to cheer me up.

"I'm looking forward to working with you again, Munroe," he said. "Only this time, I'm glad it'll be my way and not yours."

Giving my shoulder one last tap, he finally walked away, leaving me so he could join the rest of his cast. The cast I would be sitting with starting tomorrow for the next seven days of my life. The cast who didn't like me simply because I was on a funny show.

The cast who was going to kill me by the end of the week.

Sighing loudly, I sat down with my cast, not bringing any food with me. I was too depressed to eat.

* * *

After receiving bear hugs from me, Nico, Grady, and Zora had all headed home for the night. Tawni was still with me in our dressing room. She had some sort of date in an hour and wanted me to help her pick out an outfit. As she modeled for me again and again, I sat on the couch, not really paying attention.

"Goodbye, couch," I said sadly. "Goodbye silver letters spelling Tawni's name. Goodbye strange picture of a tree with random leaves falling off. Goodbye vent where Zora always came whenever she visited. Goodbye-,"

"Will you cut it out? You're not dying, Sonny. You'll be back here a week from now," Tawni interrupted me. "Now, let's concentrate on something besides you, like what you think of this outfit!"

She stood in front of me, smiling brightly as she showed off a bright blue dress that was more so made for a dance than a date.

"Goodbye to you and all your over priced clothes!" I cried out instead of giving her my opinion. I finally got up from the couch so I could wrap my arms around her. "I'm going to miss them so much!"

"Sonny, you're wrinkling my dress!"

I could feel her struggling to exit my hug, but she was leaving soon and it might've been my last chance to hug her for an entire week. I kept my arms around her, squeezing tighter the more she tried to get free.

A knock on the door was what made me finally let Tawni go. As she ordered me to answer it, thinking her date might be super early, I had to wonder if she was right. Sure, her date still had 55 minutes before the time he'd told Tawni he would arrive, but who else would be knocking on the door this late?

There wasn't a man standing on the side of the door. Instead, the visitor was a girl with long dark hair and a worried expression on her face.

"Portlyn?" I asked slowly, unsure if that was her name. "What are you-,"

"Oh, I was hoping you would still be here!"

Without another word, she pulled me in for a hug, wrapping both of her arms around my neck and almost dragging me to the ground with the force behind it. I stood there, too shocked to ask why she was hugging me.

Was I having some kind of weird dream? Maybe the whole day had been a dream and Chad had never really told me I was going to be on his show. Maybe I would wake up soon and everything would go back to normal and-

"Portlyn?" Tawni's voice cut into my thoughts. "You're not Robby."

If I was dreaming, would Tawni sound just as clueless as I was? Shouldn't she be welcoming the Mackenzie Falls actress since she was a dream and everyone was out of character?

Finally letting go of me, Portlyn turned to the still open door, sticking her head out and checking every direction before coming back, leaving it partly ajar behind her.

"I have to make this quick," she explained when Tawni and I both stared at her. "I stole this from Chad and I have no idea how long it will be until he figures out I have it. I don't think he would come over here to look for it, but just in case he does…"

It wasn't until that moment that I noticed Portlyn was clutching something in her hands. The item looked like some sort of book, a book she shouldn't have. On the cover, in all capital golden letters, three initials stood:

C.D.C.

Chad was the only person I could think of with those initials, and everyone knew he didn't like his things being touched. How Portlyn had gotten hold of the book was a mystery I didn't want to find out. The less I knew, the less I would be held accountable for when Chad barged into the room, wanting to know who had taken his missing item.

And of course, I knew eventually he would come baring into the room. Instead of thinking a cast member had taken the book, he would think of me right away. I was always his prime suspect simply because I was the only person from another set he talked to. In his eyes, working on another show made me the most likely criminal.

No way was I getting blamed for this one. Portlyn had stolen the item and if she was looking for somewhere to hide it, she could look somewhere else. When Chad came in looking for it, if he went through the room and ended up finding it, I would get blamed before having a chance to explain it wasn't my fault. I wasn't going through all that just to keep Portlyn out of trouble.

"Chad better not come here," Tawni said, motioning to the dress she was still wearing. "I have a date to get ready for, and Sonny is too busy saying goodbye to everything to have visitors."

"I don't think you guys will be saying that after you know what's in this book," Portlyn argued, holding up the book so Tawni and I could both see it. "This is Chad Dylan Cooper's book of official crushes. Or, as I like to call it, his C.O.W. book."

She spelled out the letters instead of just saying cow, and that was what confused me even more than her suddenly being in my dressing room with Chad's stolen item. If it was just a book, why did she call it a C.O.W. book?

Why did I want to look at it when I'd wanted to push both the girl and the book out of the room only seconds ago?

"C.O.W." Portlyn tried again, this time smiling. "In case you're wondering, it stands for Crush Of the Week."

"I'm bored," Tawni sighed, pushing Portlyn toward the door. "Thanks for stooping by, but you can tell Sonny all about Chad's little book tomorrow. Right now, we have more important matters to-,"

"Did I forget to mention that you're in the book?"

Tawni ripped the book out of the other girl's hands. I rushed to her side quickly, grabbing half of the book so I could help hold it. If she got to see what was inside, it was only fair I got to see, too.

Not that I really wanted to see the book. According to Portlyn, it was full of Chad's crushes. I didn't care who he liked. I was only looking because it was the polite thing to do. After all, Portlyn had gone through all the trouble of smuggling it in.

It didn't take long to see exactly what the book was doing. At the top of every page, someone had written the word 'Name' and next to that was the name of some girl. Below that, in seven different boxes, were the days of the week, each of them with an added on word in front. Next to the day were sentences I didn't have a chance to read. Tawni was flipping through the pages too fast.

"I don't see my name in here," she whined after only a few second of searching.

"That's because you're looking too far back," Portlyn explained. "Every girl Chad has ever liked is in that book in the order he liked them. You were a childhood crush."

Her hope renewed, Tawni opened to the first page of the book. She had to keep flipping, but after only five or six pages, she found her page.

"'Macaroni Monday,'" she read aloud, a huge smile overtaking her face. "'Tawni and I share a bowl of macaroni and cheese on the set of The Goody Gang.' I remember that day! I wanted him to share his macaroni with me because my mom wouldn't let me eat any!"

"Why wouldn't your mom let you eat macaroni and cheese?" I asked. "I thought all kids loved that stuff."

"I did love it, but my mom said it had too many carbs," Tawni replied before turning to Portlyn. "How did you find out about this book? How come no one told me I was in it?"

Portlyn pulled the book from Tawni and my hands before answering.

"I found out about this book because Chad and I are best friends who tell each other everything," she said. When I gave her a dubious look (Chad wouldn't even tell a best friend about every single girl in his life), she shrugged. "And I snuck into his dressing room. The point is, Chad's been playing this game for years and I think it's time we put a stop to it."

I exchanged a look with Tawni. Good, she looked just as confused as I felt.

"What game has Chad been playing for years?" I asked. "Keeping track of girls?"

Shaking her head back and forth, Portlyn opened the book and held it up again as she flipped through several pages.

"What do you notice about every page?" she asked as she continued to flip.

"A different girl's name?" Tawni guessed.

"Chad's handwriting getting sloppier and sloppier?" I tried.

"No! you notice that each page has Sunday through Saturday on it under the girl's name with a description of what took place on each of those days," Portlyn explained, slamming the book shut so she could look at our faces. "I call this Chad's C.O.W. book because for each of these girls, he spent a week trying to win them over just to dump them on the last day."

I understood what Portlyn was saying. Basically, since Chad was little, he picked out a girl, spent six days getting her to fall for him, and then broke her heart on the seventh and started the chain all over again.

It was a horrible thing to do…But why was she telling Tawni and I about it?

Tawni's mouth fell open in shock and for a second, I thought she was wondering the same thing I was.

"Wait a second!" She pulled the book from Portlyn's hands again, opening it to her page. "Are you telling me Chad tricked me back then? He never really liked me, did he? He was just using me in his sick little game!"

Was I the only one in the room who didn't care about Chad? Why was it a big deal if he had a new girl every week? He was Chad Dylan Cooper. Even if he was just using the girl, she would probably let him do it, even if she knew the truth. A lot of girls, including several of my friends back home, would give anything to be with Chad for an entire week.

Tawni didn't feel the same way, evidently. Her mouth was still hanging open as she read through the rest of her week, memories probably flooding back to her. She cared that Chad had used her, and it had been years ago when he'd done it. If she cared, what about all the other girls on the list?

It wasn't any of my business what the other girls thought about Chad's game. If Portlyn and Tawni wanted to tell the other girls what had happened, that was up to them. It wasn't like anyone was going to want-

"Revenge!" Tawni's face was serious as she closed the book, clutching it tight enough I thought for a moment she was going to rip it in half. "We need a way to get revenge on the three named jerk-throb!"

"I was hoping you would say that," Portlyn said, smiling in victory. "All of us on the Falls are getting sick of Chad doing this every week. We don't like how he can hurt so many girls and not even seem to care. What we need is a girl who will let Chad think she's into him so she can turn him down before he breaks her heart. If we beat Chad at his own game, maybe he'll be too embarrassed to play again."

I was still confused why Portlyn was showing the book to Tawni and me. It sounded like she already had a plan to stop Chad from playing his game. What did she need the two of us for?

"Who are you going to get to pretend to fall for Chad?" I asked, not able to hide my laughter. "She'd have to be someone who can act extremely well. I mean, come on, it's Chad…Dylan…"

My voice trailed off as Tawni and Portlyn looked at me, both of them smiling in a way I hadn't seem them do before. Suddenly, I understood why Portlyn had come to us:

I was the one she wanted to pretend to be in love. She wanted me to be Chad's new Crush Of the Week.

"Wow, will you look at the time?" I said quickly, looking at the invisible watch on my arm. "I should really be going, there's a big day tomorrow since it's my first day at the Falls. I'll catch you guys later."

I didn't get to take two steps before four arms grabbed me, pulling me backwards. They forced me onto the couch I'd been sitting on at first, two hands staying clutched around my arms in case I tried to run again. Portlyn got down on her knees in front of me, once again holding up the book.

"Look at this, Sonny," she said, turning to the back of the book. "Check out how many times Chad's written your name and then had to cross it out!"

Sure enough, on pretty much every page she turned to, I could see my name, each time scribbled out or with lines drawn through it. A different name was always there with the days filled in underneath, but my name was always first.

Chad had been thinking about making me his Crush of the Week for months now. I'd known he liked me, but seeing the proof of it as Portlyn flipped from page to page to page…

I couldn't stop myself from groaning loudly.

"Why me?" I begged, looking from her to Tawni, who was still standing behind me, holding my arms prisoner. "Why can't you guys find someone else to pretend to like Chad? I'm sure there are a million other girls who would love the chance to do this."

"Because you're the only girl Chad has liked for longer than a week," Portlyn answered. "And, besides that, you're the only one who has never fallen for his charm."

"You're guest starring on his show this week anyway, Sonny," Tawni added on. "It'll be easy for you to make him think you're falling for him."

I wanted to tell them no. I wanted to demand that they find someone else to do it, that if they wanted to get back at Chad so badly, they could do it by themselves. Part of me knew they were right. Even if they did find another girl to play the part, it wouldn't be as effective as having me do it. If they really wanted Chad to stop, I was going to have to be the one to break his heart. I was the only person who could really hurt him.

Seeing that I was starting to cave, Portlyn started going through the pages slower, listing off the names one by one.

"Think of all the girls he's hurt so far," she told me. "Tawni, Tisdale, Hudgens, Montana, Gomez, and even me! If you go through with this, you'll be not only getting revenge for all the girls already written in this book, but for any that Chad might otherwise add in the future."

She stared up at me, making her eyes as huge as she could. I was a sucker for the puppy-dog face. Glancing over my shoulder to Tawni, I saw she was giving me the same look. There was no way to escape their pleading faces.

Like Tawni said, I was already stuck on the Mackenzie Falls set all week anyway. Why not have a little fun with Chad while I was there?

"Alright, alright," I sighed loudly. "What exactly do I have to do?"

"Sunday is always called Selective Sunday," Portlyn replied, smiling again as Tawni finally let go of me, not worried about me running away now. "Don't worry, I'll take care of making sure he picks you this week. The rest of the days he changes around depending on the girls, so I can't really tell you what to expect except a ton of flirting. Be ready, and flirt back with him. He needs to think you're falling for him for this plan to work. Oh, and next Saturday, make sure you break things off with him before he does with you."

I didn't join in with the cheering as Tawni helped Portlyn to her feet, clapping her hands in excitement.

"I can't believe we're finally getting back at Chad after all these years!" she exclaimed, actually jumping up and down. "This is going to be perfect, Sonny!"

She and Portlyn started going over last minute plans. I sat on the couch, not joining with them or listening, really. All I could think about was what I had just agreed to.

I was going to have to pretend to be in love with Chad. He was already in love with me, so I had a feeling pretending to feel the same way was going to take a lot on my part. He would probably want to hold hands, hug, and maybe even-

Oh, I couldn't even think about the k word. Chad had already thought about it. He'd probably been thinking about it since the night we were supposed to do it. Just thinking about actually having to follow through with it, maybe even more than once…

The only good thing that was going to come out of this week was the part where I got to break his heart. After all the times he picked on me, started fights for no reason, made fun of my show, and put me through all the torture he could possibly think of, breaking his heart was going to feel pretty good.

If I survived until the end of the week, anyway.

"ALLISON MUNROE!"

The shout was loud enough to not only make me jump out of the chair, but to make Tawni and Portlyn drop the book as well. I scrambled to my feet, rushing to the door, wanting to lock it. I knew who that voice belonged to and I didn't want him coming into the room when he was that mad.

"I think Chad found out his book is gone," Tawni stated the obvious.

"Wow, that boy has it worse than I thought for Sonny," Portlyn agreed. "Look at him, blaming her right off the bat. I thought for sure he'd come to me first and then go off to find her."

"It doesn't matter who he comes to first," I argued, forcing the door shut and reaching for the lock. "All that matters is he doesn't get in before-,"

I was too late. On the other side of the door, a force hit strong enough to push me off my feet. Tawni caught me before I could land on the floor, and we both watched as Chad entered the room. His face was red, but whether it was from anger or running all the way to my dressing room, I wasn't sure. Either way, I knew I was in trouble as he grabbed my shirt, pulling me out of Tawni's grasp.

He kept hold of my shirt as he forced his face close to mine, so close in fact that his forehead lightly set against mine. It might've been a cute moment if he hadn't been panting into my face.

"I know you have it, Munroe," he said, his voice thick with anger. "Tell me where it is, or I'm going to-,"

"Let go of her, Chad. I have your book, not her."

Portlyn was standing beside the two of us, holding the book where Chad could see it. Instead of letting go of me so had a hand free to grab it with, he stared at his co-star.

"Portlyn?" His voice was slow as he studied her, almost like he was trying to figure out if it was really her or not. "What are you doing in Sonny and Tawni's dressing room?"

What was she going to say? That she'd come so she could let Tawni and me in on her plan? If she said that, she would blow the plan before it could even begin. Not that I would mind the plan getting canceled. It would be in my favor if it was.

Unfortunately, Portlyn didn't slip up and give away the real reason she was in my dressing room.

"Chad," she said in an innocent voice, "You warned all of us today that Sonny's joining our cast tomorrow. I wanted to get a head start in making friends with her."

It was a believable excuse. Slowly, I felt Chad's grip on me start to loosen until finally, I was able to smooth my shirt down in the place he'd grabbed it. As I did, he ripped the book away from Portlyn, glaring at her instead of me.

"Why did you take this?" he demanded, shoving the book into her face. "More importantly, you didn't look in it, did you? Did you show it to the two of them?"

"Chad, would I do something like that to you?" she asked, her voice completely serious.

He didn't look sure about her answer, and he glared at both Tawni and me before turning his attention back to Portlyn.

"Get back on our set," he ordered her, pointing to the door. "And stay out of my dressing room from now on, got it?"

I was going to have to live under that control for an entire week?

Portlyn started toward the door, but instead of going into the hallway, she stooped and took one last look into the room.

"It was really nice talking to you, Tawni," she said despite the fact Chad was coming up behind her, trying to push her out of the room. "Sonny, I can't wait to work with you tomorrow!"

Chad still looked rather puzzled as Portlyn finally left. He didn't follow her at first, instead looking back and forth between Tawni and me.

"Well," Tawni said after several silent moments. "I have a date to get ready for!"

She skipped into her 'changing room', pulling the curtain shut behind her. Chad and I were alone, but Tawni could still hear every word we said. He knew that as he stepped toward me.

"Just because Portlyn's pretending to be your best friend doesn't mean she really is," he said. "You're only going to be at the Falls for one week. Don't get used to it because no matter how much you beg me, I'm not going to let you stay. You're coming straight back to Chuckle City as soon as possible."

"Good, because I don't want to join your cast of egotistical actors," I retorted.

"Good," he replied.

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Just be at the Mackenzie Falls set tomorrow morning at eight sharp," Chad reminded me. "We like to start our day on time."

"Oh, good, that'll give me a few extra hours of sleeping time than what I'm used to at So Random!"

With one last glare at me, Chad left the room, tossing his book into the air and catching it as he did. I closed the door behind him, rolling my eyes.

It was going to take a lot of work to make him believe I was really falling for him. He was a jerk-throb, my boss for the next seven days, and someone who I really, really, really wanted to ignore. Was it possible to make him think I was in love with him?

"Have fun on your date, Tawni," I called before grabbing my jacket. "I'm going home so I can get some sleep. Tomorrow, my acting skills are going to be put to the test."

Chad Dylan Cooper was going to believe I was madly in love with him by the end of the week. He was going to fall just as much in love with me. And then, exactly one week from today, I would tear out his heart and stomp all over it like he had done to hundreds of girls before.

Payback was going to be sweet.


	2. Selective Sunday

I'm glad you guys are happy I'm re-uploading! It makes all this work sooooooo worth it. Thanks for the sweet reviews!

By the way, my mom fixed it so I could take this story off my flashdrive, which means I should be able to upload most of the story (if not all of it) today. My goal isn't to get reviews (although I do LOVE reading them *hint hint* My goal this time is just to get COW and BULL online so I can continue it's third chapter, CALF.

Thanks for reading!

Oh yeah, and for anyone reading this story for the first time, every time you see a pretty line dividing the page, you're switching point of views between Chad and Sonny.

Disclaimer: I have this story printed off. I own the COW plot. But non of the characters.

* * *

Selective Sunday

Even though I knew my cast wouldn't be arriving for at least another two hours, I pulled into the Condor Studios parking lot at six o'clock in the morning. There were a lot of things that needed to be done before Sonny showed up.

I knew she wasn't looking forward to working with me and my cast for an entire week, so I was going to do everything I could to make sure she enjoyed herself. The first thing I had to do was make sure the Mackenzie Falls uniform she'd worn when she had joined my cast months ago was washed and ready for her. After that, I needed to find her a dressing room.

Each person on Mackenzie Falls had their own dressing room, mine being the biggest. It would be easy to let Sonny share with Portlyn or Penelope or even Chloe, but quite frankly, Penelope and Chloe spent so much time fighting with each other on the show, I wasn't sure how they would react to having a new roommate. After last night, I wasn't going to put Portlyn and Sonny together, either. I didn't want the two of them bonding during the week. I wanted Sonny spending time with me.

As I walked around the set, still carrying around Sonny's uniform, I finally decided to place it in Portlyn's closet. She was the closest friend I had on the set, and she would be the most understanding about giving up her room.

Portlyn's dressing room was bigger than the one Sonny and Tawni shared; I knew because I had been in their room before, including when I barged my way in last night. Maybe Sonny wouldn't be as mad having a big room all to herself for a week. This week wasn't about trying to make her mad; it was about trying to get closer to her while I had a chance.

If she got mad along the way, then that would just be an added bonus. Mad Sonny was like…Well, it was like seeing a tornado hit an area where you least expected it to happen. Although happy Sonny was the easiest to work with, a mad one was the one I fought for her to become. All I had to do was say one sentence to her, sometimes only a word, and she would transform before my very eyes.

Happy Sonny was cute, but mad Sonny was irresistible. The way her smile would thin into one tight line, her eyes would narrow, and her voice became deeper. It was moments when she looked like that that I fell in love with her all over again.

There were a million things I could've done to make Sonny angry during the week; for one thing, I could've let her find the uniform on her own, or let her battle it out to see who she would end up sharing a dressing room with. But some part of my brain told me it was a better idea to start off the week by being nice to her. If I started off trying to be mean, she would spend her time thinking of ways to get back at me. The last thing I needed was my acting to be off because she kept distracting me.

And so, I very politely hung her Mackenzie Falls outfit in Portlyn's closet, pushing all the clothes in there to the side. I'd talk to Portlyn about moving her things later. Now, it was time to meditate.

Sunday was always a busy morning for me whether I was helping get the set ready for Sonny or not. It was my ritual to sit in the meditation room before the rest of my cast arrived so I could do two things: 1. Read through the Mackenzie Falls script I would be performing that week, and 2. Pick out a girl to win over throughout the week.

No one knew about the little game I liked to play, and it was going to stay that way as I sat alone in the mediation room this morning, putting my new script aside. Taking my cell phone from my pocket, I waited for the internet to load.

There were a lot of girls in the world and only one of me. There was no way I'd ever be able to date all of them, even though I knew every one of them (with the exception of Sonny) would give anything to have me. If there was a way to clone myself so I could go out with more than one girl at once, I would do it. It was my duty to not only keep my fans happy with my acting, but also on the social level.

Since there was no way to clone myself, I dated as many girls as I could through the fairest way I could think of: I went onto the internet every Sunday, found the name of every girl within ten miles of Condor Studios, and picked only one of them. The lucky winner was the girl I spent the rest of the week winning over (they always ended up in love within the first few day. Always). Every Saturday was when I broke up with them, no matter how much I returned the feelings. It was only fair to give every girl a chance and that wasn't going to happen if I stuck with one.

Besides, in all the years I'd been picking a new girl every week, I'd never fallen in love with one of them. Sure, there were a few I enjoyed spending time with more than others, but none that I could see any reason to stay with for more than seven days. None of them could make me feel the way I felt around-

The internet finally loaded, and I typed in the website I always used. To my surprise, I knew who the first girl was without having to look at the picture below her name or reading the description about her: Allison 'Sonny' Munroe.

Was my phone telepathic or something? How did it know I'd just been thinking about Sonny?

I thought about hitting the next button. Sonny was the only girl I'd ever had feelings for. She was the only one who I wanted to see time and time again, even if it was just long enough for her to yell at me. I'd been thinking about picking her for a long time, just to see what would happen (of course she would fall for me eventually; everyone did) but there was always something that held me back.

Mainly, I was afraid of what would happen to Mackenzie Falls if Sonny and I did start going out. Surely I wouldn't be able to dump her in a week; we would go out much longer than that. But I couldn't stand the rest of the So Random! cast, and my cast, besides maybe Portlyn, felt the same way about Sonny. If the two of us went out, would ratings for both our shows go down?

Before I could decide which button to hit, Agree or Next, the sound of a door opening almost made me drop my phone. I exited off the site as I turned around, wondering who would be entering the meditation room so early in the morning.

Portlyn was the one walking toward me. She was already wearing her Mackenzie Falls uniform, just as I was, and she kept her pace slow, keeping her hands behind her back. I recognized that pose; she was nervous.

"Good morning," she said, stopping several feet from where I was sitting.

"What are you doing here so early?" I asked instead of returning the greeting.

She shuffled her feet back and forth, letting her eyes dart around the room, looking at anything but me. Did she think I was mad at her for interrupting me?

"I guess I'm doing the same thing you are," she finally answered my question. "Trying to find a quiet spot to think before starting the day."

My Sunday mornings were always my alone time simply because no one had ever wandered into the meditation room before. I wasn't mad at Portlyn for coming in. Tucking my cell phone into my pocket, I decided picking out this week's girl was going to have to wait. I would find alone time later.

"Well, as long as we're both here, we might as well enjoy the peace and quiet together," I said, patting the floor next to me as I picked up my script. As Portlyn joined me on the floor, I asked her, "I'm assuming you noticed an extra uniform in your closet?"

"I did," she nodded, "And I'm more than happy to share my room with-,"

"You aren't going to be sharing with Sonny," I cut her off. "You may have your pick of who you would like to share with for the week, as long as you don't pick Sonny. While she's here at the Falls, she's getting the star treatment. Part of that includes the comfort of her own room."

Just as I hoped she would do, Portlyn agreed, simply nodding her head instead of fighting me about it. I was glad she was the one to have walked in on me. Anybody else I would've kicked out and probably been mad at for the rest of the day. Not very many people could interrupt my Chad Time and get away with it.

Another thing about Portlyn was that she didn't feel the need to talk every second she was with someone. As the two of us sat on the floor, she was quiet as I flipped through the pages of the new script. My mind wasn't really on the words in front of me; I was still thinking about Sonny.

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" Portlyn's voice finally broke the silence.

What was it with being able to read my mind today? First the phone, now Portlyn. Everyone knew about my crush on Sonny, but Portlyn was the only one I talked to about it. We both knew she was the 'she' Portlyn was talking about.

In response to her question, all I did was sigh loudly. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Why don't you let her be the one you try to win over this week?" she asked softly.

I rounded on her, pushing away her hand as I jumped to my feet, pointing an accusing finger down at her.

"You lied to me! You did read my book last night!"

This time, she didn't deny it. Instead, she climbed to her feet as well, shaking her head as she did so.

"I don't need a book to see what you're doing, Chad," she said. "You're going out with girl after girl after girl because you like Sonny and you're too afraid to go for it. She's going to be on our set every day for the next week. She's going to be around you all the time. If you're ever going to make your move, now would be the time. If I were you, I wouldn't let the opportunity fly by."

I pretended I couldn't hear her. Holding my script up over my eyes, I studied it closely, wanting her to take the hint. She did.

"But what do I know? I'm just your co-star, not the great Chad Dylan Cooper," she sighed, and I could hear her shoes clicking as she walked across the room. "I'll talk to you later, Chad. I hope you make the right choice."

The door opened again, and before I heard it click shut, I pulled my phone from my pocket, letting the script fall to the floor.

'Stupid Portlyn,' I thought as I waited for the website to load again. 'She's a girl, and she knows about my crush on Sonny. If she thinks now's the time to move in, then she must be right. I just can't let her know she was right. What would happen to my reputation if people knew I let her make up my mind about something as big as this?'

The website loaded, Sonny's picture reappeared, and I hit the Agree button. It was official: Sonny was going to be my new girl.

I never noticed Portlyn still standing in the doorway, close enough to see the screen on my phone. Her silent cheer went unnoticed as she took off running, making sure the door closed silently behind her. I was too busy thinking about ways to win Sonny's heart to pay her any attention.

* * *

Portlyn was the first person I saw when I walked onto the Mackenzie Falls set. I was expecting to see Chad waiting for me, ready to yell at me for being two minutes past the time he'd told me to come, but he was nowhere in sight. All I could see was a mess of dark hair as Portlyn ran to me, grabbing both my hands in hers.

"It worked, it worked!" she chanted, jumping up and down happily, pulling my hands along for the ride. "Chad picked you to be his new C.O.W.! The plan is all set, he's going to be working for your heart all week, so all you have to do is flirt back with him and make him think he's winning you over until - Whoa, why are wearing that?"

She stopped jumping as she eyed my outfit. I looked down at myself, wondering what was wrong.

"What's wrong with this?" I asked her, pulling gently on my shirt so I could see the picture of Chad's face better, complete with the line going through it. "I'm only wearing the same thing I wore the day we all played Musical Chairs."

I thought wearing the shirt would be a good way of letting Chad know I wasn't happy about being part of his cast. Apparently Portlyn didn't feel the same way. Her mouth fell open in terror.

"Sonny, you're supposed to be making Chad think you're in love with him, not that you hate him!" She used my shoulders to spin me around, keeping her hands where they were as she pushed me forward. "Come on, maybe we can get you changed before Chad sees-,"

It was too late for her idea. Since her head was lowered and she couldn't really see where she was going, she didn't notice Chad had been walking toward the two of us. She ended up pushing me right into his chest.

I thought he was going to yell at me for walking into him. Sure enough, he opened his mouth wide, his usual yelling face. Instead of making a sound, he shut his mouth, forced a smile onto his face, and stepped to the side.

"I'm sorry for getting in your way, Sonny," he said in a sweet voice. "Feel free to continue on your path, hopefully without any blocks this time."

"Yeah, well, I-,"

My retort died before I had a chance to finish it. Had Chad just been nice to me? Even though it was my fault for walking into him, he wasn't going to yell at me about it?

"That-That's it?" I asked slowly. "You're not going to say anything else?"

He looked down at me for several long moments. Remembering the shirt I had on, I stood up straighter, wanting him to see the picture. Surely he would have something to say about that.

"Well, uh…" He paused, obviously trying to think of something. "You look very…um…cute today."

Cute? I was wearing a shirt with his picture and a huge line over it, and he thought I looked cute?

I knew he was only saying it because I was his C.O.W. If he would've been the normal Chad, that would've been the beginning of our second fight, the first being after I walked into him. But part of his plan to win me over must've included being nice to me, and, to be honest, even if that was the only reason he said it, it was still nice to hear.

The blush I could feel creeping into my cheeks wasn't a good sign. This week was supposed to be acting on my part. I couldn't let myself develop real feelings for Chad. The whole plan would be ruined.

"Wow, Chad." My voice sounded too sweet. "You look pretty, um…"

Before I could think of an adjective to put at the end of my sentence (it was hard to be nice to someone who already thought they were great), Portlyn stepped up to my side.

"I was just on my way to show Sonny where her dressing room is," she explained and I nodded my head, thankful I no longer had to finish my thought. "So, if you don't mind, Chad, we'll just be on our way."

We had only taken a few steps before Chad called out, "Make sure you're in the Meeting House in ten minutes. We're going over this week's script together!"

"The Meeting House?" I repeated as Portlyn dragged me down the hall.

"Yeah, it's that room right there," she told me impatiently, nodding to a room as we walked by. "Ok, so do you see what I mean about Chad flirting with you? He's going to be saying stuff like he just said all week. You need to react the same way you just did. You know, blushing, nervously thinking of something nice to say back. That was perfect!"

So my natural reactions to Chad's words were the perfect way to deal with them. Maybe this week wasn't going to take as much acting as I thought.

"Here's your dressing room," Portlyn cut into my thoughts, pushing me into a room with so much force that I almost fell. "Your Mackenzie Falls uniform is in the closet. Make sure you have it on, along with your flirty attitude, when you walk into the Meeting House. Oh, and try not to be late. You're getting on Chad's good side, remember?"

She closed the door, leaving me alone in the huge room.

I walked over to the closet slowly, taking out the uniform I'd worn so long ago. It wouldn't take me very long to put it on. After all, I knew exactly how it was supposed to work. I was starting to take it off the hanger when my fingers stopped.

Why did I have to wear the same outfit everyone else would be wearing? If we were only going over the script, then it wasn't a filming day yet. Why should everybody have to match?

Besides, Chad had said I looked cute…

When I walked into the Meeting House eight minutes later (I showed up two minutes early to make up for the two minutes late I arrived on set), I stopped in the doorway, giving myself a chance to look around. I assumed the Meeting House was kind of like the Prop House at So Random!, except it wouldn't have props everywhere. To my surprise, the room seemed almost bare. It had a cement floor with cement walls and one lonely Mackenzie Falls poster.

Whoever had designed the room needed to go back to school to learn what colors other than gray were.

"Look, Sonny's here!"

The voice surprised me. I thought I was alone in the room, the first to arrive. Looking toward the floor, I saw why I'd thought that: the only pieces of furniture in the room were beanbags, and they were very low. I probably still wouldn't have noticed I wasn't alone if the shouter hadn't drawn my attention.

Quite the opposite of being first, I seemed to be the last to arrive. All the actors had their beanbags in a circle, and the ones who were facing me all waved happily. I waved back, giving them a nervous smile. Was then minutes my time seven or eight by all of them?

Chad and Portlyn were both sitting so their backs were facing me, but they turned around once they realized I was there. Portlyn glared when she saw what I had on. Chad, on the other hand, didn't.

"Did you have problems finding your uniform?" he asked.

I looked down at my Chad shirt again, just as I'd done the first time he mentioned my clothing.

"I thought you said I looked cute in this," I asked him, doing my best to give him a sad look. "I'll go change if you want me to, but I just figured since I was cute already-,"

"You do look cute. I'm sorry for bringing it up," Chad said quickly, patting the empty beanbag next to him. "Why don't I make up for it by letting you sit next to the great Chad Dylan Cooper?"

Apologies for me not wearing the same outfit as everyone else? Wow, he really was trying to be nice.

As I sat down on the side of Chad opposite Portlyn, he actually smiled at me. I returned the smile, not thinking about the C.O.W. thing. I always had to smile back when someone smiled at me. It was the number one rule of being Sonny Munroe.

"Why doesn't everyone go around the circle and say who they play in the show?" Chad suggested, looking at his cast mates one by one. "It'll be a good way to let Sonny get used to the show a little bit."

His cast listened and one by one told me who they played. I learned Penelope was one of Chad's love interest who was threatened by Chloe, the new girl who was also in love with Chad (that could explain why he thought girls fell in love with him in real life, too). Devon was Chad's half-brother who hated him (that sounded more like a role I should play) because 'Mackenzie' had inherited the family business instead of him. Trevor was Chad's clueless best friend (kind of like my real life Tawni). Portlyn said she was a student at the school the rest of the characters attended and she had a slight crush on Chad as well.

Then, it was Chad's turn.

"Well, I think you already know that I play Mackenzie, the star of the show," he said, straightening his tie like he'd just said something amazing.

"Yeah, I know all about Mackenzie," I replied. "He's the spoiled rich kid who thinks he has everything and that he's better than everyone else and every girl he meets has to fall in love with him, even if they insist they won't. He just won't stop pushing until it happens, and by that point, the girl is driven to the pint of insanity so when she's supposed to kiss him, she lets a pig do it instead-,"

I stopped when I saw the look Portlyn was giving me behind Chad's back. Her head was shaking back and forth, her arms waving in front of her chest. I could hear what she was trying to say loud and clear: Shut up now!

Chad, on the other hand, wasn't glaring at me or mad in the least. A smirk was on his face as he leaned closer.

"So, you are in love with me, then?" he asked.

I felt my jaw drop.

"No, I'm not in love with you! Where did you get a crazy idea like that?"

"Well, you just admitted it," Chad replied. When I shook m head, he held up his fingers so he could make quotation marks. "'He just won't stop pushing until it happens, and by that point' blah blah blah, something about kissing a pig. You've been in love with me since I was on your show, haven't you, Sonny?"

Why did my mouth choose now, when I was sitting in a room full of Mackenzie Falls stars, to betray me? I knew I wasn't in love with Chad, and it was way too early in the week for him to think I was in love with him. I had to think of something to say, something to cover up for my mistake.

"Sometimes it takes longer than one week to fall in love, Chad," I said, unable to think of anything better.

He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Does it ever take longer than two weeks, Sonny?" His voice was much too confident for comfort. "You're getting another chance to be my co-star. This time, you even play my girlfriend!"

"What?"

The script he was holding in his hands switched to mine as I pulled it from his grasp, not caring if it was his or not. Turning it to the front few pages where all the characters were listed out, I searched for the one I hadn't heard when going around the circle.

My name was at the bottom of the list. Apparently I was playing a girl named Macy. All it said next to the name was that I was coming to visit Portlyn who was, to my best guess, some sort of long lost sister. I didn't see anything about Macy being in love with Mackenzie.

"You're just trying to scare me," I said, closing the script as I turned my attention back to Chad. "I'm visiting the Falls to see Portlyn, my long lost sister."

"And Mackenzie, your childhood boyfriend," he told me as he took back his script, opening it to a page further back. "See, it says so right here: 'Before Portlyn and Macy were separated, Mackenzie and Macy were young lovers. When they see each other again for the first time in years, they rush forward to embrace happily.' It looks like we pick up our relationship right where it left off. So, in other words, we become boyfriend and girlfriend again."

I couldn't even think of anything to say to that. Chad was still smirking as he handed me a different script, this one with my name written at the top and all of my lines highlighted.

"Alright, everyone, let's read through the script so we know what we need to practice before filming day," Chad ordered, and at once, all the scripts opened to the first page. "Devon, go ahead and begin."

Stupid Mackenzie Falls director for wanting me to come guest star on the show so the ratings would go up. Stupid Mackenzie Falls script writer for adding me as Chad's new girlfriend. Stupid Chad for being so cocky about me falling in love with him by the end of the week.

He was right. I would be in love with him by the end of the week. At least, that would be what he thought.

A week from today though, Mackenzie Falls was going to have one broken actor to glue back together. I wasn't showing any mercy.

* * *

I noticed the scowl on Sonny's face through the morning script read through. It never left her lips which was alright since we weren't really acting, just getting a feel for what we would be doing during the week, but sill. Did she really have to make playing my girlfriend such a big deal? It was only for a week; couldn't she handle the hand holding for that long instead of sticking her tongue out in disgust every time something romantic was in the script?

Her attitude didn't seem to improve much during the day. When the read through was over and I dismissed everyone to lunch, Sonny tried to go to her dressing room. I put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her along with the rest of the cast. The last thing I needed her to do was run off on me to join her cast.

Although if she'd been wanting to leave so she could change clothes, that would've been more than alright with me. Of course I didn't think she looked cute in that shirt. I only said that in hopes of making her start to fall for me. Sure enough, my words had caught her off guard and, if I wasn't mistaken, had caused her to blush a little. And her slip up about the pig…

Sonny might not admit it, but she was already in love with me. I had the rest of the week to make sure she realized it. If things went as planned, she would finally be mine by this time next week.

Once work was done for the day and I invited Sonny to go out for ice cream with the rest of the cast, she turned me down before taking off as fast as she could, coming up with some excuse about her mom needing her at home. As soon as she was out of earshot, Portlyn cornered me.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Other than saying a few nice things to Sonny, you treated her the same way you always do! How is fighting with her going to make her fall for you?"

"Today was only day one, Portlyn," I told her, rolling my eyes. "I have six more days to get her to fall in love with me. Let me take care of things my way, alright?"

"But, Chad-,"

I turned my back to her, joining the rest of the cast as we headed to the parking lot. The nearest ice cream place was far enough away we'd have to drive to get there, and since there were so many of us going, we'd have to take two cars.

Sonny was still standing right outside the Mackenzie Falls set when everyone passed her. I stopped, knowing they weren't going to leave without me. I was, after all, one of the drivers.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" I offered one last time. "There's plenty of room in my car if you'd rather ride with someone you know instead of people you just met today."

"My mom's already on her way to pick me up," she replied curtly, refusing to look at me.

It was time to use some of my Chad Charm.

Gently placing my hand on Sonny's chin, I forced her to look up until her eyes met mine. She tried to look down again, but when I raised her chin a little higher, she stooped trying to look away.

"Your week here is going to be as miserable as you let it be," I said, lowering my voice. "If you want it to be horrible, keep acting like this. If you would rather enjoy yourself, let me know. I'll be happy to show you how much fun working on a TV show really is."

I held her chin for several more seconds, letting my eyes stare into hers. She started shaking as her eyes widened; her mouth opened slightly as she started to pant. Ah yes, all clear signs of nervousness.

Even if she was only in the early stages of it, Sonny Munroe was falling for me.

The sound of my car's horn beeping was what made me finally let go of Sonny. Without saying another word, I left her standing there as I walked to my car, joining the members of my cast who were waiting for me. They cheered and Chloe, the driver of the other car, challenged me to a race, the last one to the ice cream shop paying for everyone to eat. We pulled onto the street at the same time, our tires squealing.

Taking one last look into my mirror, I could see Sonny in the spot where I had left her, only instead of standing up straight, she was leaning against the building behind her, wiping her forehead.

The rest of the week was going to be easy.


	3. Munroe Monday

Here is CALF Munroe Monday, revamped and re-edited. Haha.

Have fun!

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING

* * *

Munroe Monday

My Monday started at 5:03 AM, which was when my cell phone started mooing at me. Maybe most people would be able to sleep through such a soft sound, but after being cows for most of my life, I was too kenned in on the noise to ignore it. In the darkness of my room, I scrambled out of my bed toward the lit up screen.

"Hello?" I asked, too tired to stop long enough to check the ID.

"What was up with you yesterday? Aren't you supposed to be making Chad think you're in love with him?"

I was too tired to know for sure, but the voice sounded a lot like-

"Tawni?"

"Yes, it's me. What other person do you know who would wake up this early just to give you a make-over?"

Wondering if I was still asleep enough that I hadn't heard her correctly, I held the phone away from my ear long enough to pinch my arm. As a pain shot through me, I knew I was awake, not caught in some sort of bizarre dream.

"I don't need a make-over, Tawni," I sighed, putting the phone back so I could talk again. "Actually, if you call me this early again, you'll be the one needing a make-over."

"Apparently, you do need one," Tawni replied instead of taking the hint and hanging up. "You showed up yesterday in that hideous 'I hate Chad Dylan Cooper' shirt. He's never going to fall for you when you wear stuff like that! Meet me at the studio in fifteen minutes and I'll make you look almost as good as me!"

"I don't need a make-over. I'll just wear my Mackenzie Falls uniform today."

My protest was too late. Before I could finish my sentence, a dial-tone sounded from Tawni's end of the phone. She wasn't taking no for an answer.

Grumbling to myself, I turned on the light in my room, calling out for my mom as I did. She wasn't going to be happy about giving me a ride to the studio so early in the morning, but I would rather deal with her than an angry Tawni. Last time Tawni had been mad at me, she'd locked me out of our dressing room and wouldn't let me in until I got her a date. I didn't want to go through all that again.

After I heard mom mumble a reply to my shout, I closed my bedroom door so I could get dressed. My eyes scanned the room as I tried to pick out an outfit I wouldn't have on for more than a few minutes.

My walls were full of posters and pictures. Some of the pictures were from back, but one wall, the biggest one, was covered with pictures of Tawni, Grady, Nico, Zora, and me. The five of us had been through a lot since I'd joined the cast, but the pictures helped to remind me of all the good things that came out of the bad. No one knew about the Mackenzie Falls poster taking up part of the wall, or the pictures of Chad I'd cut from magazines. A few of the pictures were of both of us, some of them photo-shopped by magazine editors, others snapped by sneaky reporters.

It was the one safe place I could put pictures of Chad without anyone ever finding out about them. None of my friends came into my room, and the day Chad tried to come in would be the day the earth would catch fire. My room was the only safe place to let my crush be known.

I was glad I was a good actress; if any of my friends knew how I really felt, Portlyn and Tawni's plan would've been down the drain in two seconds. I was the only one who knew about my crush, and I would always be the only one to know.

My house was a Chad Dylan Cooper free zone.

* * *

Portlyn went running by me as I walked around the Mackenzie Falls set. At first, I didn't recognize her and was going to let her go, but then I decided having a stranger running around my set wasn't the best idea in the world.

"Whoa!" I called after the already halfway down the hall stranger. "How about an apology for almost running me over?"

She stopped running and turned to face me, keeping her hands behind her back as she did so. I stared at her in surprise.

"Portlyn? What are you doing here early again?" I asked. "Usually I can barely get you here on time. Is something going on that I should know about?"

As I spoke, I started walking toward her, wanting to close the distance between us. I could see the way she glanced around the hall, refusing to look me in the eyes. What was she hiding from me? She never hid anything from me; no one hid from me. I'm Chad Dylan Cooper!

"Well, Chad, I'm here early today because I…I…"

"Need extra time to do your hair?" I finished her sentence.

It wasn't hard once I was close enough to grab one of her arms and pull it from behind her. She was clutching a bottle of hairspray. Why was she trying to hide that form me? Like I cared if she needed extra time to do her hair or not.

Pulling her arm out of my grasp, Portlyn laughed nervously.

"You caught me, Chad. I came here early so I could do my hair," she said, walking backwards. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have…hair…stuff to do."

I watched as she turned her back again and started running, not stopping until she was out of my line of vision. I had no idea why she was trying to hide hairspray from me, and normally, I would've tried to figure it out. But I had a reason for arriving early again today and didn't have time to worry about Portlyn. Instead, I went to my dressing room.

The little black book Portlyn had stolen the other night was what I reached for once I was sure the door locked behind me. I'd changed the hiding place since she had found it and I didn't want anyone finding its new location. Anyone around the studio, or the press for that matter, wouldn't do good things if they had the black book. If anyone ever found out about my little scheme, I had a feeling the world would no longer see me as the nice person I was. Knowing the way girls over-reacted about everything, I would get in trouble if they knew what was really going on.

No, the world could never find out about my book. It was just too much of a risk.

Opening the book to the first blank page, I wrote Sonny's name at the top of it. Half the pages started off the same way, but this time, I didn't have to cross it out. I was really going through with it now, and, to be honest, it was going better than I hoped.

_Selective Sunday _I wrote, letting the pen glide across the page. _Sonny Munroe is picked as new girl. She nearly faints when I touch her._

I couldn't help but smile as I thought back to last night right before leaving the studio. Sonny had tried to keep her cool while I was around. She tried to stay firm, but the second my back was turned, she was leaning against the building in defeat. Yes, she had almost fainted, and that was just because I'd cupped her chin.

If she thought that was good, she was going to love tonight.

Looking over at the clock, I saw it was almost time to start work for the day. Closing the book, I put it back in its hiding place, knowing I wouldn't need it again until tomorrow morning. Using the mirror to make sure I looked great (yeah, right; when didn't I look great?), I opened the door to my dressing room-

-Nearly hitting a blonde actress who shouldn't have been on my set in the first place.

"Tawni?" I asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Just like Portlyn had done, Tawni seemed to grow nervous as she tried to think of an answer to my question. What was it with the two of them? Why were they both showing up early? Why did they have to think of answers instead of having them ready?

Were they trying to hide something from me?

I shook that thought from my head. Of course Portlyn and Tawni weren't tricking me. I was Chad Dylan Cooper; I didn't get tricked. Besides, the two girls didn't even talk to each other. I was just letting my imagination get carried away, that's all.

"You stole Sonny away from me for an entire week," Tawni finally answered my question. "Now you're trying to tell me I can't even visit my friend?"

"I thought I would be doing you a favor by getting rid of Sonny for a week?"

It was no secret that although Tawni and Sonny were getting along better than Sonny's first few weeks at the studio, they still had a long way to go before being best friends. Even I could tell that and I wasn't part of their cast.

"What are you talking about?" Tawni asked, letting out the loudest fake laugh I'd ever heard. "I love hanging out with Sonny!"

"Really?" I relaxed my pose as I smiled down at her. "Where is your friend then, Tawni? If you mad such an effort to get here this morning, shouldn't you be with the person you wanted to see?"

I had won this time. Tawni's nervous laughter died down. I folded my arms over my chest, waiting for her to answer my question. Her mouth was just opening when another voice spoke up.

"Just because Tawni came to visit doesn't mean she has to be with Sonny every second she's here. If you want the truth, Sonny asked Tawni to leave so she could get ready for work to begin."

Portlyn was back, this time without a can of hairspray or her nervous posture. I only looked at her for a moment before turning my attention to my watch.

"I told Sonny we start at exactly eight o'clock," I said. "She has exactly five seconds before she'll be late. Four…Three…Two…One…"

"I'm here, Chad, sorry!"

Just on time, Sonny ran out of Portlyn's dressing room, joining the small group of people standing outside mine. I turned to her, ready to start yelling at her for cutting her time so close-

My voice froze in my throat.

Once again, she wasn't wearing a Mackenzie Falls uniform, but she wasn't wearing a shirt with a line through my face, either. There was something different about her outfit today. Her jeans were gone, replaced with a skirt. Her t-shirt was instead a fancy top. Her hair, which had been straight every time I'd seen her, was in difficult curls that had probably taken forever to look that perfect. The face I'd fallen in love with every day had more make-up on than usual, just enough to bring out her features a little better.

All in all, she looked amazing.

I was barely aware of Portlyn and Tawni, who were both still standing on either side of Sonny, smiling at each other. All I could do was stare at Sonny. She stared back, although she much more nervous than me. Her hands kept twisting together then untwisting again like she didn't know what she was supposed to do with them.

"So," Portlyn said, slipping one of her arms around my shoulders, the other around Sonny's. "Shall we get to work, children?"

She looked over her shoulder long enough to win at Tawni. Tawni returned it before heading off to her own set, happy as could be.

I missed the whole exchange as I tried not to stare at Sonny.

* * *

Tawni wasn't the only one waiting for me when I arrived on the Mackenzie Falls set. Portlyn was there, too, and they each grabbed an arm, dragging me into 'my' dressing room. Since it still wasn't a filming day, Portlyn explained I could get away with wearing whatever I wanted to, but in order to keep me from making the same mistake as yesterday, she and Tawni had something special picked out.

When I first saw the outfit, I protested, telling them I wasn't going to wear it in a million years. They convinced me it was only for a day and that if I really wanted Chad to fall for me, I was going to have to show off a little bit more.

"You're already as pretty as the girls he goes for," Portlyn told me. "You just need to learn how to show it better."

I put on the outfit and was ready to call it good enough, but Portlyn and Tawni forced me to sit down. Before I knew what was happening, they attacked my hair, face, and nails. When Tawni told me to meet her for a make-over, she wasn't kidding. The two of them worked for two hours before they declared me Chad-ready.

He was speechless when he laid eyes on me for the first time. If I wasn't seeing things, his mouth even fell open a little. I wanted to say something witty to him, something that would really set him off, but when I tried to think of something, no words came out. Just like him, all I could do was stand there and blush.

I'd actually sent Chad Dylan Cooper into silence.

Things went a little better on the set today, but not much. Chad still wanted to fight every chance he got, demanding to know why I refused to wear the Mackenzie Falls uniform, telling me I wasn't allowed to have visitors on his set unless he approved of them first, even yelling at lunch when I glanced over to my old table. I kept sending hopeless looks in Portlyn's direction, and she pulled me aside one time to reassure me.

"He's trying to get used to this just as much as you are," she explained. "I saw the way he looked at you this morning; he's definitely falling for the act. Just keep flirting with him and I'm sure he'll come around."

Chad assigned each cast member somebody to work with on a certain scene in the script, whichever one the two thought they needed the most work on. When he came to me, I thought he was going to pair me up with him. Instead, he smiled.

"Sonny," he said, putting an arm around my waist as he led me out of the room, away from the rest of the cast, "You're going to be working with Jenna."

"Jenna?" I repeated. "Who's Jenna?"

My question was answered pretty quickly. There was a woman waiting for us in the hallway, a Mackenzie Falls script in her hands. She was tall, skinny, and not an actress on the show.

"Jenna is the official acting coach for us," Chad explained. "She's going to teach you how to really act instead of whatever it is you do at So Random!"

"Chad, I don't need acting less-,"

He patted my shoulder before leaving, shouting a, "Goodbye!" over his shoulder. It's a good thing he closed the door as he went back into the room. Otherwise, I might've followed him and killed him when there were too many witnesses around to see. If he was ever alone with me though, he'd better watch out.

Quitting time came, the actors headed for the door, and Portlyn warned me to wear my Mackenzie Falls uniform tomorrow. I was slipping on my jacket, getting ready to follow everyone outside, when I heard a throat clear behind me.

There stood Chad, his hands shoved into the back pockets of his pants. Since he'd been the one to draw my attention to him, I waited for him to say something.

"So…I was wondering if you wanted to do something tonight?"

The laugh I tried to hold in didn't stay silent. Chad looked at me and I shook my head quickly.

"Sorry," I apologized. "It's just that…Well, it's kind of funny how you think you can treat me like a jerk all day and then suddenly turn into this nice guy at night."

He seemed surprised by my words.

"I haven't been a jerk to you today, Sonny."

"What do you call it then?" I asked. "If yelling at me about every little thing I did wrong and making me work with an acting coach all day isn't being a jerk, then what is it?"

Chad placed a hand on my shoulder, waiting for me to meet his eyes before answering my question.

"I'm sorry if I seem a little harsh with my rules," he said in a serious voice. "I'm your boss for the week, Sonny, and I'm just trying to help you do the best acting you can. I only have one week to bring you up to your full potential."

For a minute, while I was standing there, his warm hand on my shoulder and his eyes smoldering into mine, I believed him. Of course he had every right to yell at me; he was trying to help me out, really.

It wasn't until I finally looked away and forced Chad's hand off me that I came to my senses. He was the farthest thing from a boss I had and he absolutely had no right to be yelling at me. Just because I didn't do everything the exact way he wanted it done didn't mean I wasn't doing it right. There was a difference between Chad's way and mine, but you didn't see me yelling at him every five seconds.

"I would love to hang out with you tonight," I told him, remembering I was supposed to be making him think I was in love with him. "Unfortunately, my mom wants me home."

"Does she have some kind of rule where you have to go straight home every night?" Chad asked, looking dubious. "That's the second night in a row you used the same excuse."

"It's not an excuse," I protested. "My mom really does want me home. She actually enjoys spending time with me."

I could hear Chad behind me as I walked off the set, heading into the parking lot. Instead of stopping on the steps like last night, I kept walking.

"Is your mom already here?"

"Actually, I'm walking home tonight. I want the extra time to think."

"Perfect!"

Without taking the time to explain his proclamation, Chad ran in the opposite direction as me, heading toward his car. I wondered why he had said 'perfect' before running off, but I shook my head. It didn't matter why he had done it. Work was over, Portlyn and Tawni were gone, and I was free to be myself again. I didn't have to flirt until I arrived at the set the next morning.

I was just starting down the sidewalk, trying to shake out the curls that had been bothering me all day. They kept jumping into my face at the worst possible times, but when I tried to brush them out during lunch, Portlyn stopped me before I could even take one brush. My fingers weren't doing a very successful job; there was so much hairspray piled into the mess, I had no idea how I was going to get it all out. I was too busy trying to untangle my fingers to notice the car when it pulled up beside me.

"Yeah, I thought your hair was a little bit too done up," a voice called out, making me jump a foot into the air. "It was extremely cute, just not very…you."

There was Chad, driving his silver convertible (an exact replica of the car destroyed during Zora's prank) down the road. He was going much slower than the speed limit, and cars were beginning to line up behind him. He was in a no-passing zone, and as I glanced at the other drivers, I saw many unhappy expressions.

"Why are you trying to cause a traffic jam?" I asked him. "Is your goal in life to always have someone mad at you or something?"

"Let me give you a ride home."

The car behind him beeped their horn loudly, followed by several beeps from cars farther down the line. I gave them all apologetic looks, but Chad didn't even turn to look at them. I glared at him as I stepped closer to his car.

"I think everyone's starting to get mad at you," I warned through gritted teeth. "You should really speed up. Some people have actual lives that you might be making them late for."

"I'm Chad Dylan Cooper. The world doesn't mind waiting for me."

He seemed to be wrong on that account. As he kept talking, the line of cars grew longer. I could see the driver of the car right behind him pounding his fists into the wheel. Nervously, I held up a finger, begging him to wait one more minute.

"What if one of these people have a gun and they get mad enough to use it?" I asked, lowering my voice in case any of the drivers had their windows down and could hear me.

"In that case," Chad replied, shrugging, "You'll have my death on your shoulders for the rest of your life."

"Don't joke around about stuff like that, Chad! It's not funny!"

"Nobody would be getting mad if you got into the car, Sonny. The sooner you get in, the sooner I can speed up."

Now people were rolling down their windows, shouting form one car to the next, trying to figure out if there was some kind of accident or roadwork making them go so slow. A few cars down, a woman was on her cell phone, a worried expression on her face.

Despite everything going on, Chad only looked at me, occasionally glancing at the road, although he didn't really have to when going barely faster than a snail. There were no other cars in front of him and the one person who drove by in the other lane watched the scene before them in awe.

I cold feel my face getting redder and redder by the second. What if somebody recognized me? What if a reporter showed up and started snapping pictures? I would be known forever as the girl responsible for causing a traffic jam, even though it was really Chad's fault, not mine. Did he have to be so stubborn?

"Ok, I give up," I finally exclaimed, throwing my arms into the air. "What do I have to do to get you to go away?"

"Haven't we been over this?" Chad actually sounded bored. "If you get into the car, I'll speed up again."

"Chad, please." I could hear the exhaustion in my voice as I turned to him, hoping my eyes looked sad. "I've been around you all day. I got dressed up for you, had my hair done for you, and even took acting lessons for you. Can't I have the short walk home without having to see you?"

He was silent as he thought over my request, which only made the symphony of horns and shouts behind him seems even louder. I didn't try apologizing this time; they had every right to be mad.

"You're walking straight home?" Chad finally spoke again.

"Where else would I go?"

My answer must've been good enough because Chad sat up straighter in his seat.

"Alright, Munroe, have it your way."

"I will!"

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Chad…Just drive."

This time, he listened to me and started picking up speed. As the long chain of cars followed his lead (was that cheering I heard?), I pulled my cell phone from my pocket. I had a lot to tell Tawni about.

Tawni and I weren't the greatest friends, but she asked me to keep her informed on the whole Chad thing during the week. I had a feeling all she was really interested in was making sure I stomped his heart into the ground, but it was still nice having someone to talk to who was just as appalled about the traffic jam as I was. We talked about that and Chad's reaction to me first that morning until I could see the building where my apartment was.

"Chad's here," I said slowly, stooping in the middle of the sidewalk, my body frozen to the spot.

"Chad's where?" Tawni demanded. "He isn't stopping traffic again, is he?"

"No," I answered. "Tawni…I have to go."

I was in a daze as I hi the end button on my phone and slipped it into my pocket, not bothering to look and make sure it was really off. My eyes were stuck on the silver convertible too fancy to be owned by anyone in my apartment complex.

The part that scared me the most was that the blond jerk-throb himself was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

I easily remembered which door let do the apartment Sonny called home. I'd been there two times, once being when I followed her home (receiving a punch to my chest when she found out) and the other when I came over to check on her as her phone accidentally called me after being thrown into the garbage disposal.

A woman who looked a lot like Sonny opened the door when I knocked. She was wearing a pink apron and had a dishtowel in her hands. She seemed surprised to see me, although I wasn't sure if it was because she knew who I was or she just hadn't been expecting visitors.

"Hi," I greeted her in my best voice. "Sorry if it's a bad time. I'm-,"

"Chad Dylan Cooper," she finished my sentence for me, smiling as she extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you; Sonny's told me so much about you! She's not home yet, but if you'd like to come in and wait, I could use an extra hand in the kitchen!"

Shaking her hand, I accepted her offer to come in, knowing Sonny was going to kill me when she arrived. Oh well; who said winning over her heart would be easy?

Wait, I said winning over her heart would be easy! Even if she was mad when she first came home, she wouldn't stay that way for long. Surely I would be able to win her over again with a touch, maybe a nice long stare into her eyes. I knew what it took to make Sonny happy again. It was something I had to know since often I was the cause of her anger. Someone had to be around to calm her down again.

Mrs. Munroe seemed to be very nice. She led me straight to the kitchen, where she was putting the finishing touches on the dinner she was making. When I asked what she wanted me to do to help, she instructed me to set the table.

"Just two plates then?" I asked when she pointed out the cupboard where I could find both plates and glasses.

"Only set two if you plan on leaving soon," she replied, smiling brightly. "I was hoping you would join us for dinner."

"Oh, I really couldn't impose-,"

"You're kidding me, right?" Mrs. Munroe laughed and, knowing she'd probably be more mad at me if I left than if I stayed, I took three of the plates. "My daughter talks about you non-stop, Chad. You're welcome to have dinner with us anytime you want."

That was the second time she brought up Sonny talking about me and I was opening my mouth to ask what exactly she said about me when we both heard the front door open. The door to the kitchen was shut so I couldn't see who had just come in, but I had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Mom?" the voice I knew so well called out.

"I'm in the kitchen, honey!" Mrs. Munroe sounded giddy as she called to her daughter. "Ohh, you're never going to guess who's in here with me!"

The kitchen door opened, in walked Sonny, and the scowl already on her face deepened.

Mrs. Munroe was wrong: Sonny was able to guess who was in her kitchen.

I smiled as I walked past her, heading back to the cupboard so I could grab two glasses, balancing a third on top.

"Doesn't Sonny look stunning today?" I asked Mrs. Munroe as I made my way back to the table.

Mrs. Munroe's eyes widened as she took in Sonny's appearance. Her reaction told me Sonny hadn't left the house in the morning looking the way she did now.

A few questions started running through my mind. How had Sonny gotten done up? Who had helped her? Why did she wait until she left home before doing it? Was it really done just to impress me as she'd said earlier? Did she have some kind of secret motive?

I tried to forget about the questions. Here I was, at Sonny's house, sitting for dinner with her and her mother. It was wooing time, not questioning time.

Mrs. Munroe seemed to be a lot more open about things than Sonny was. She talked through most of the meal, answering any question I threw at her. All Sonny did was sit across from me, letting her elbows rest on the table as she buried her head in her hands.

By the time dessert was being dished out (ice cream from some brand not good enough for me to buy but tasted pretty good anyway), I had learned that although Sonny had been a fan of So Random! back home and enjoyed coming up with her own comedy sketches, Mackenzie Falls was the show she had to tune in and watch every week. Apparently her old room had been full of pictures of me.

"It was the cutest celebrity crush you've ever seen, right, Sonny?" Mrs. Munroe asked, laughing as she bumped Sonny's back.

"It wasn't cute at all, mom," Sonny replied, glaring at me as she spoke. "It was stupid, childish, degrading, horrib-,"

"You have syrup dripping off your chin, sweetheart," Mrs. Munroe cut her off.

I chuckled, pretending not to see the look Sonny gave me.

Once dessert was over and all three of us were on our feet, I offered to help take care of the dishes. Sonny was behind me in seconds, grabbing both my shoulders and turning me toward the door.

"I'm sure you have more important things to do than hang out here," she said, trying to push me forward. "It was nice seeing you, Chad; can't wait to see you tomorrow!"

"Allison Munroe!" It was the first time all night her mom wasn't smiling. "That is no way to treat our guest!"

"But, mom-,"

"If you keep behaving like that, your but will be in your room for the rest of the night!" Mrs. Munroe was happy again as she turned her attention to me. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want to, Chad. I was going to work on some scrap booking tonight. Would you like to go through old pictures with me?"

The horrified look that crossed Sonny's face was almost enough to make me say no. Almost.

For the rest of the night, the three of us sat in the living room, photo album upon photo album on the coffee table. Mrs. Munroe seemed to have a story for every picture, a few of which included Sonny's first bath, Sonny's first birthday party, and a really embarrassing picture of Sonny trying to copy the look I had on every Mackenzie Falls poster. Maybe she was good at acting, but she was horrible at imitating.

Sonny barely said a word all night. If she tried to cover a picture before I could see it, her mom would threaten her again, and if she interrupted a story, the same outcome occurred. Eventually she learned to keep her mouth shut and listen in terrified silence.

My original goal of the night was to try to win Sonny over. It was my second day of trying and if things didn't improve soon, I wasn't going to reach my goal of having her my girlfriend by Saturday. As the night went on, my intentions changed. the more I learned about Sonny, the more I wanted to know about her. I never pictured myself being able to sit there and look at baby pictures of a girl without laughing, but with Sonny, it was easy. Even back then, she was just as beautiful as she was now, only in a different way.

Besides, I wanted to be with Sonny for a lot more than a week when it finally happened. Spending time with her mom and learning about her old life was a good way to start a new relationship.

It was almost midnight before Mrs. Munroe glanced at the clock for the first time. The photo album she had out slammed shut.

"The time just flew by tonight, didn't it?" she asked with a laugh. "Well, I have work in the morning and need some sleep. Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave now, Chad. Sonny isn't allowed to have boys over unless I'm around. You know how crazy she can be sometimes!"

Sonny looked like she was bout to explode. She climbed to her feet, grabbed my arm to pull me up as well, and pushed me to the door without getting yelled at this time.

"You can go to bed now, mom," she called over her shoulder. "I'm just going to tell Chad goodnight."

Pushing me into the hallway, she closed the door before Mrs. Munroe could finish her goodbye.

"What was that about?" she demanded, folding her arms over her chest.

"What was what about?" I asked, pretending to be clueless. "You just said you couldn't hang out tonight because your mom wanted to hang out with you. I just thought-,"

"You would come over and find out every little embarrassing detail about me so you can tell the press?" Sonny shook her head back and forth quickly. "Let me tell you something, Chad. You may know that I used to have a crush on you, and you might've seen photos I never wanted anyone to see, but that's doesn't mean I'm afraid of you! Go tell the press whatever you want to tell them, but remember, I know how to fight fire with fire. You spread stuff about me, I'll do the same to-,"

In a desperate attempt to make her shut up, I put a hand on each of her cheeks, pulled her head toward me, and kissed her hair softly. It worked; she fell silent as her brown eyes stared up at me.

"I didn't come over tonight to get dirt on you, alright?" I explained, still holding her head between my hands. "I came because I wanted to spend more time with you."

She didn't answer, but to be honest, I wasn't sure if I was holding her too tight for her lips to move. I continued to hold on for several moment, enjoying the feeling shooting through my body. One little touch and I felt recharged, like even though it was midnight, I could start another day right now.

Remembering Mrs. Munroe was still behind the closed door, more than likely waiting for Sonny to come back in, I finally let go of her, turning my back to walk away. As I reached the end of the hall, I turned around.

Sonny was still standing in the hall, her eyes watching me. When she saw I was starting at her, she quickly turned away, trying to hide what she'd just been doing. I smiled as I called out her name.

"Hey, Munroe." She stopped her hand on the doorknob, her eyes back on me. "Let your hair go natural tomorrow. I don't like kissing it when it has all that hairspray in it."

She rolled her eyes, but I could see the smile she tried to hide.

"Go home, Cooper," she ordered.

This time, I decided to listen. She deserved the alone time she'd wanted before. After all, I wanted her to make it as far as her bed before fainting.

And I knew she was going to faint. The fainting always came around day two, and although Sonny was hiding her crush more than any of the previous girls, I could tell she was falling under my spell.

By the end of the week, just as I promised last time we worked together, she really was going to be in love with me.


	4. Twizzle Tuesday

Just wondering, but...Are there any ice skaters reading this who actually know what a Twizzle is?

Review if you know!

Disclaimer: I own Kimberly and Bryson. Ohh, and the plot. But that's it.

* * *

Twizzle Tuesday

I was tardy.

After staying over at Sonny's house until such a late hour, I didn't get to bed until later than I was used to. The alarm clock went off, I hit snooze, and the next thing I knew, it was 7:55 and I had five minutes to make it to the studio. Even with only taking time to brush my teeth and change clothes, it was still 8:02 when I pulled into the parking lot. I rushed inside, wondering what my cast was going to think. I yelled at them when they showed up two minutes late; would they give me the same treatment?

As I sprinted down the hallway, I could hear voices coming from the Meeting House. I could feel anger start to flow through me. Why were they talking to each other? Just because I was late didn't mean they couldn't get started. I'd led them through enough days that they should know by now what to do. Well, they certainly had no right to yell at me if all they were doing was having a social hour.

When I finally reached the room, my mouth already forming the words I wanted to accuse my cast with, I was forced to clamp my jaw shut. The voices I heard weren't just morning conversations; everyone was warming up. They stood in groups of two or three, each member facing the others, and each group seemed to be doing the exact movements at the same time. It was a warm-up I didn't usually lead, but one I knew of called the Mirroring Exercise. To be honest, they were all doing a pretty good job of it, too. I couldn't tell who was leading the movements in any of the groups, which was the goal of the exercise.

"You guys are doing great! Keep up the good work!"

My eyes fell on the one person walking around the room, making sure everyone was participating. Once in awhile, she would join one of the groups and play along before continuing with her walk, always smiling as she yelled out encouragements.

It wasn't hard to figure out where my cast had learned their new warm-up.

Sonny didn't see me at first, and I didn't call out her name, either. She was actually doing a pretty good job with the cast and I didn't see a reason to stop her. I stood there in the doorway until she finally made her way toward me, her back in my direction. Finally, I stepped into the room.

"I don't remember warming up this way since you've joined the cast."

I must've scared her half to death by speaking up. She jumped, turned to face me with widened eyes, and placed both her hands over her heart.

"Good morning to you, too," she said sarcastically. "I know this isn't one of the typical warm-ups you do, but you were late and everyone seemed to pick up the rules fast enough. I'll stop them so you can take over."

My way for ending an exercise was to clap my hands and then, once I had everyone's attention, shout out what I wanted them to do next. Sonny was raising her hands, getting ready to copy my method, when I stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"I didn't say I didn't like the warm-up," I explained when she stared at me, the question in her eyes. "Thank you for covering for me."

She smiled, the first real smile I'd seen since she'd joined the cast. I returned it, and for a few seconds, there was awkwardness between us. I wasn't sure what to do. Should I say something else? Should I stop smiling? Was the moment lasting too long?

Sonny was the one who turned away first, yelling another line to the cast as she began pacing the room again. This time, I walked at her side, helping her shout out. Once again, she smiled at me, but only for a second before returning to the job at hand.

I had no idea what she was thinking about, but there was one thing on my mind: we made a pretty good team.

Since I arrived late, I didn't have time to fill out my book about last night until I dismissed the cast for lunch. They all took off for the lunch room while I went to my dressing room long enough to write a short description. I wrote as fast as I could, not wanting to leave Sonny alone for very long. Without me there to guard her, she might try to sit with the So Random! cast.

To my surprise, she was sitting at the Mackenzie Falls table when I finally arrived, her lunch pushed aside as she talked and laughed along with the rest of the cast. Maybe she was starting to figure out working with them wasn't a bad thing. She actually looked like she belonged there, like she was acted on the show all the time.

Then again, that was just the special power she seemed to have. Sonny could fit in anywhere, and whatever group she picked would become closer because of her. I'd known the kids at So Random! when Mandy had been there instead of Sonny and sometimes, it was hard to believe I was looking at the same cast today. They seemed to get along better than they used to and laughed a lot more often, too.

And now, I was seeing the same thing happen with my cast. We'd always been close, but I found myself heading over to Sonny's set not only because I wanted to see her again but also because I grew bored. Most of the time, my cast was quiet; they were great when it came to acting, but off the set, it was like they had no lives.

Now, with Sonny sitting at the lunch table with them, all of them were talking and laughing. I hated to think what they would be like after Sonny left at the end of the week. I hated to think what I would be like not having her on the set, always there to talk to and pick on, at the end of the week.

There was only one empty chair at my table by the time I finally arrived, and that was the seat always left open for me, the one at the head. Sonny was a few seats down and didn't say a word to me until the chairs between us cleared, those who had been sitting in them wanting to spend their last minutes of lunch doing something else. That was when she slid down to the chair beside me.

"So, since you got my life story last night," she asked eagerly, "Does that mean I get to hear yours tonight?"

I scoffed as I shook my head.

"If you want to know my life story, wait for the movie," I told her, and the smile she'd had on her face disappeared. "Actually, I want to repay your mom for letting me eat dinner with the two of you last night. I thought I might take the two of you ice skating."

Her forehead wrinkled at my words.

"Ice skating?" she repeated. "Really, Chad?"

"Yes, really. That new rink just opened a few blocks away from here and I thought it would be a fun idea to go break it in."

Sonny still didn't look too sure about my suggestion, but I couldn't tell her my real reason behind picking ice skating. It would be the perfect place to try to win her over because, hopefully, she would be horrible at skating and would need my help. I could hold her hand all night long as I led her around the ice, maybe even let her fall a few times just so I could catch her in my arms. I could be her hero for the night.

"Well, if we're going skating, I should give my mom a little warning," Sonny finally said. She extended her hand toward me like she was waiting for me to put something in it. "Can I borrow your cell phone?"

"Why do you need to use mine?" I asked. "Don't you have your own?"

"Yes, but I left mine in the dressing room and I don't feel like walking all the way there to get it," she replied. "Can I please just use yours? I promise it'll be a quick call."

I handed over my phone, she smiled her thanks, and then her head was down so she could see what she was doing.

"You know, Sonny, I really am enjoying working with you this week," I said, not wanting to sit there in silence. "I can't wait until we get to start practicing the scenes where we're boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Uh huh."

'Uh huh'? She wasn't going to fight me about it, saying something about how she didn't want to do the scenes? Something must've been wrong with her.

Her head was still craned over my phone and she was hitting buttons every few seconds. It shouldn't have been that hard just to figure out how to dial her number and hit call.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously, leaning over so I could see the screen, too. "It doesn't take that long just to put in a number."

Sonny climbed to her feet quickly, moving the phone closer to her body, trying to keep me from seeing it. She was too late. During my quick glance, I saw she was in my address book.

"You're not really calling your mom," I stated the obvious, climbing to my feet as well. "Give me back my phone, Munroe!"

I reached for it, but Sonny must've found the number she was looking for because she held it up to her opposite ear, using her free hand to shush me. I tried to get to the side the phone was on, but she turned quickly, not giving me a chance.

Staying where I was instead of trying to jump around her, I grabbed Sonny's free arm and pulled her closer to me, using my other one to try to reach the phone. She stepped on my foot, stomping hard enough to make my eyes water.

"Behave yourself," she ordered me softly as my hands went back to my side. "I'll tell your mom about your rude behavior if you don't stop!"

"My mom?"

When I tried to take the phone for a third time, Sonny ducked down, trying to disappear under the table. Wrapping both my arms around her waist, I was able to pull her back up. It would've been so easy to move one hand and take the phone from her too close ear-

"Hey, Mrs. Cooper!" I was too late; she'd really called my mother. "It's Sonny Munroe, one of Chad's friends from Condor Studios? It's great to meet you, too! I was just wondering…Do you have any plans tonight?"

I kept my arms around Sonny's waist as she continued her conversation, pulling her as close as I could, trying to hear what my mom was saying to her. I knew we were standing in the middle of a semi-full lunch room, and almost every person still there was staring at the two of us, but I didn't care. Sonny wasn't even trying to push my hands away, and just like last night, I could feel that charge shoot through my body.

All too soon, Sonny said goodbye, and I had to drop my hands as she pulled away from me. A triumphant smile was on her face when she turned to face me, slipping my phone into my waiting hand.

"You met my mom, now I get to meet yours," she said proudly. "Ice skating's going to be fun, don't you think?"

She skipped out of the lunch room, leaving me to stare at my phone, dumbfounded.

How come she always got her way?

'Oh, that's right,' I thought to myself, slipping the phone back into my pocket. 'She always gets her way because she's Sonny and not even I, the great Chad Dylan Cooper, can't stop her when she gets an idea.'

* * *

Portlyn and Tawni were both waiting for me outside the lunch room. No one else was around, so they didn't have to worry about being seen together, and when I tried to walk past them, they each grabbed an arm.

"What did I do wrong this time?" I sighed.

"Wrong?" Portlyn repeated. "Sonny…That was perfect! You just had Chad holding onto you for five minutes straight!"

Normally when the two of them wanted to talk to me, I was in trouble, like yesterday when they gave me a make-over just because I wore my Chad shirt. Hearing them say they weren't mad took me by surprise.

"How did last night go?" Tawni demanded. "You hung up right after you said Chad was there! What did you mean by 'there'?"

The last few people left in the lunch room started to file out then to get back to their sets, and I knew Chad could turn the corner at any minute.

"I'll tell you all about it later," I said, walking around the two of them to join the crowd. "Tell everyone hi for me, Tawni!"

I could've stayed and talked to them. We could've found a private place to talk and shown up to the set a few minutes late. I could've told them all about Chad coming over for dinner last night, our goodbye in the hallway, and the kiss he'd given me before walking away. I could've told them how we were going ice skating tonight and that I had invited his family to come along with us.

The truth was, I didn't want to tell Portlyn and Tawni everything. Sure, this was their plan to begin with and they deserved to know how things were going so they could make sure I stayed on the right track.

There was something I liked about having my own Chad secrets though. I liked being the only one who knew he had come over to my apartment, and I really liked being the only one who knew about the kiss. Not because I was embarrassed by any of it (what girl in her right mind would be?) but because both had been special to me. Chad showing up at my house showed me that, even if he was only trying to win me over, he had to really care for me at least a little to make the effort to spend time with me. His kiss, just on the top of my head, not even on the lips, was enough to keep me dreaming all night long.

In the lunch room, it would've been easy for me to pull out of Chad's grasp, but something made me not do it. The whole time his arms were around me, I could feel the butterflies flying around my stomach. I could barely concentrate on my phone conversation, and I missed bits of information every time I inhaled and Chad's fingers repositioned slightly.

I'd never felt that way before at someone's touch, and I wasn't quite sure what to make of my feelings. I would talk to Tawni and Portlyn after I had some time to think.

Besides, I didn't have time to talk now. There was an afternoon of listening to Chad's every command, and then ice skating while I met his family. It was going to be a long day.

I just hoped I could make it without collapsing, which was exactly what I did last night after saying goodnight. Why did he have that kind of effect over me? Was I becoming as weak as the girls he dated every week? Was I falling under his spell?

'Get a grip, Sonny,' I ordered myself. 'It's only been two days. All of the talk about falling in love, with the added on Chad time, is just making you nervous. You're too smart to fall for his trick. You're just really getting into your acting.'

I hoped I was right.

* * *

My parents couldn't believe I had finally invited them along for one of my activities. Mom was always trying to get me to take part in Family Days, and when I walked through the front door, she couldn't stop hugging me.

"Thank you so much for inviting us to come along tonight, honey!" she exclaimed, kissing my cheek.

"I didn't invite you, mom," I tried to explain, pulling out of her grasp. "Sonny lied to me, stole my phone, and then-,"

"Oh, that Sonny just sounds like the sweetest little thing! I can't wait to finally meet her, Chad; you've told me so much about her!"

The last time mom had met one of my co-stars who was female, she had gone on and on about it for the next month. 'She's so pretty!' she'd say, or 'Chad, I think the two of you would make the cutest couple!' I wasn't going to be the only one she wouldn't leave alone about it, either. Sonny had no idea what she'd set herself up for by inviting my family along.

I tried my best to convince my parents they didn't need to come skating with me. I tried telling them I was a big boy and could handle it myself, that they had too much work to do, that I was a celebrity who didn't want the magazines getting shots of me with my parents. No matter what I said, they shrugged it off. At 7:30, everyone packed into the family car and we were off.

My head didn't stop hitting the window the entire ride.

It wasn't hard to find Sonny and her mom after picking up a pair of rental skates. Sonny was standing in front of one of the benches people could sit on to take on and off their skates, waving to me happily. I rushed to her side.

"Look, there's something I should warn you about before you meet my family," I tried to explain. "You see, it's not just my parents here tonight. My mom wanted to make it into a family night, so-,"

That was all I had time to say before Sonny jumped in surprise. My younger sister was hugging her leg.

"I can't believe it's really you!" Her voice was too loud for the seating area, and every head turned to find the owner of the voice. "Chad and I watch So Random! every week, and I'm always begging him to introduce me to you, but he never listened to me before! I'm so excited to meet you, Sonny!"

Laughing nervously, I tugged on the back of my sister's shirt, forcing her to let go of Sonny and stand back up.

"Sorry about that," I apologized. "Mrs. Munroe, Sonny…I'd like you to meet Kimberly."

Kimberly tried to rush forward and hug Sonny again when she received a welcoming smile, but I held her back. Why did little sisters have to be annoying to everyone, not just their older siblings? Couldn't she behave for one night?

Just as I began to wonder where the rest of my family was, they came up behind me, my mom rushing forward to shake Mrs. Munroe's hand, pulling Sonny in for a hug as soon as she was done. As dad took his turn introducing himself, mom stood behind Sonny and her mom, giving me a thumbs-up. I was glad neither of them picked that moment to turn around.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you!" Mrs. Munroe said happily.

"There should be one more of us to meet," dad explained, looking over my head. "Chad, Kimberly, where's your brother?"

"You mean that guy over there?" Sonny asked, pointing toward the ice.

Sure enough, my older brother, Bryson, already had his skates on and was on the ice, passing the other skaters as he tried to show off. He was older than me by three years, less than a foot taller, had the same great hair and blue eyes as me, and was always jealous of my acting career. Since I got mom and dad's attention through Mackenzie Falls, he had to show me up in everything else we did.

"Well, it looks like someone's already having fun!" mom said with a laugh. "Come here, Kimberly, I'll help you put your skates on. By the way, Sonny, you really do look beautiful tonight!"

I saw Sonny blushing as she finally sat down and started taking off her shoes, trying her best to keep her eyes on the floor. Only once did she look at me, and when I mouthed to her 'This is your fault, you know,' all she did was grin back.

I'd gone ice skating before, but it had been awhile. When Sonny and I tried to get onto the ice, the adults taking Kimberly out since she didn't know how to skate on her own, I would've fallen right away if Sonny hadn't grabbed me.

"Are you ok?" she asked, trying to sound concerned, but I could hear the laughter in her voice.

"I'm fine," I said quickly, letting go of her and grabbing the wall instead. "It's just been awhile since I've done this."

"I know exactly what you mean; I'm feeling a little rusty myself."

She skated ahead of me slowly, trying to get the feel of the skates beneath her feet, then turned around sharper than I could ever hope to do before coming back to my side.

"We have all night to improve," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Are you ready to start?"

When I first suggested going ice skating at lunch time, I thought it would be the perfect idea. I thought I would get the hang of it quickly enough and Sonny would be grabbing at me to keep from falling. I guess it must've been longer than I thought since the last time I'd gone.

I let go of the wall, tried to move forward, and nearly fell over again. Man, were these skates hard to work! I thought about going up to the counter and asking for a new pair. Of course it wasn't my lack of skating that was making me do badly. Chad Dylan Cooper wasn't bad at anything. The skates were the cause of my falling.

Sonny stopped me when I turned around, ready to leave the ice and get a new pair of skates.

"You aren't really thinking about leaving me out here all alone, are you?" she asked me, raising her eyebrows.

"I'll be right back," I promised her. "I'm just going to switch my skates. This pair is defective."

"If you're worried about falling, you could just take my hand instead."

She held her hand out where I could easily reach it. I laughed loudly, hoping it didn't sound as fake to her as it did to me.

"I'm Chad Dylan Cooper. I'm not afraid of falling."

"For the sake of this argument, let's just say I am."

Before I could stop her or protest, she slipped her hand into mine, letting our fingers interlock. It was our first time holding hands.

Going out toward the middle of the ice, Sonny looked back at me when her arm was stretched as far as it could go. One of my hands was still on the wall, but she nodded at me, encouraging me to let go. Slowly, I let my hand fall back to my side as she led me into the stream of skaters.

As long as she was the one leading, I'd follow her anywhere.

* * *

For the first time, I was the one in charge. Chad was the helpless one. He could barely stand up on his skates, much less skate with them. I held his hand tightly as we went slowly around in circles, trying to help coach him as we went. He was starting to do better, but still wasn't anywhere close to the word 'good'. I wondered why he'd chosen ice skating in the first place.

We were trying something new (me skating backwards, dragging Chad along with me so we could go a little bit faster) when Chad finally fell. He was laughing, a sign he wasn't hurt, but as I bent down to help him up, someone braking beside me made me stop.

Someone who looked a lot like Chad was standing beside me, smirking down at the jerk-throb lying on the ice.

"I've been watching you for awhile and I couldn't help but notice how much my brother was slowing you down," he said, turning his attention to me. "You could take a break and skate with a pro for awhile. I'm Bryson, by the way."

"I'm Sonny," I introduced, noticing how close his eyes were to the color of Chad's. "I wouldn't mind skating with you, Bryson, but Chad-,"

"Oh, he can take care of himself," Bryson cut me off, taking me by my elbow. He started pulling me forward. "Don't worry, bro, I'll have your date back to you eventually!"

I took one last look at Chad, still stuck on his stomach, only now his elbow was propped up and he was resting his chin on his hand, glaring. I wasn't sure if the glare was meant for me or his brother, but I felt bad either way. There was nothing I could do about it; with Bryson's hand clutching my elbow, I was forced to stay with him.

By the time Bryson and I circled around the ice, Chad was gone from the place we'd left him. I scanned the floor for him, trying to find him with the hopes of asking him to join us, but he seemed to have disappeared. I was forced to stop paying attention to everyone else and concentrate on myself before long. Bryson was a much better skater than Chad, and I was getting breathless just trying to keep up with him.

One major difference I picked up right away between Chad and his older brother was that just because Bryson was good at something, he didn't think he was the best. He didn't say a cocky word at all as I followed him around the ice, instead taking the time to have actual conversations with me. We talked about life at Condor Studios compared to what he did, which was being a football player at his college. We talked about his family life compared to mine. Once, he brought up the fact that Chad hadn't stopped talking about me around the house since I'd arrived in Hollywood.

When I tried asking what kind of things Chad said about me (I only wanted to know because of the C.O.W. thing. Maybe he would know something that would somehow help me take down Chad), Bryson changed the topic.

"So, do you know how to do any tricks on your skates?" he asked, slowing down so he could skate a circle around me.

"I used to know how to do a few spins," I answered thoughtfully, trying to remember back to the days when I used to skate almost every weekend. "I couldn't do very many jumps though. I always fell on my landings."

"What about a Twizzle?"

I wasn't sure if I'd heard him right.

"Twizzle?" I repeated, and Bryson nodded. "What's a Twizzle?"

"It's a trick involving spinning," he explained. When I stared at him, looking as confused as I felt, he went on. "While you're on one foot, you do quick multi-rotational turns as you go forwards or backwards. Like this."

He did the trick he described, spinning too fast for me to watch his feet. There was no way I would be able to repeat the trick. When he came to a stop, throwing his arms into the air in a grand finale, I started clapping.

"That was great, Bryson!" I said as I skated to him. "Thanks for showing me, but I think I'll stick to simple forward and backwards skating."

The two of us didn't have time to pick our speed back up before a voice cut through the loud music that was playing through the rink.

"Alright, everyone, it's time to slow things down. Go find that special partner because it's time for the couples skate!"

I started to make my way to the nearest exit, but Bryson grabbed my hand before I could leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, pulling me closer to him.

"It's a couples skate," I told him, nodding toward all the couples who were making their way onto the ice. "I figured I would go find Chad."

"Chad's not going to care if we share one song together," Bryson argued. "Skate with me, Sonny. Please?"

He had Chad's eyes, and like I said before, the eyes were the thing I liked the most about Chad. When I made the mistake of looking into Bryson's, I saw Chad's, begging me to stay.

Sighing, I let Bryson drag me back into the sea of people. One couples skate wasn't going to kill me, right?

Bryson and I held hands as the slow music played, slowing our pace to match the beat of the song. All around us were other couples, one of which included Mr. Cooper and mom, Mrs. Cooper holding Kimberly's hand a few skaters back. I smiled as I watched the scene before me. Even as a little girl, the couples skate was always my favorite one. I'd always found it romantic and couldn't wait until someone other than my parents would hold my hand during it.

"This song is cute, don't you think?" I asked, turning my attention back to Bryson.

"It's nothing compared to you."

I smiled up at him. Sure, he was Chad's older brother, but in a way, I was enjoying my time with him. He was actually nice to me when Chad wasn't, and was cute on top of that. Being with him reminded me how much I liked fighting with Chad; holding his hand made me miss the feeling I had when I had taken Chad's earlier that night. I wasn't in love with either Cooper boy, but the one who wasn't with me was the one I couldn't stop thinking about through the song.

Bryson seemed to know I wasn't really listening to the music. He leaned down close to my ear.

"Do you want to stop skating now?" he whispered.

I nodded, happy he'd said it instead of me, and together we made our way off the ice. We sat down on one of the benches connected to the wall and it was then that I noticed how tired my legs really were. I sighed in pain and was about to say something when Bryson moved closer to me.

"I've had a lot of fun with you tonight, Sonny," he said. "We should do something like this again sometime."

"It has been fun," I agreed, but said nothing about doing it again.

He was making me uneasy with his closeness. Was it just me, or was he leaning closer and closer to me? And his eyes…Why were they shutting?

When it was almost too late, I realized what he was doing. I sprang to my feet quickly, letting his lips meet up with the wall my shoulder had been against. When he realized what was going on, his eyes flew open.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"I thought we both agreed we were having fun?"

No way. No way did he actually look confused!

"Just because a girl tells you she's having fun doesn't mean she wants to kiss you!" I exclaimed, not believing the words were leaving my mouth. "Don't you know anything about girls?"

"I know you're the first one to ever turn down a kiss." Now he was beginning to sound like Chad. "Come on, Sonny. I really like you and I can tell you like me, too. What does one little kiss hurt?"

I opened my mouth to retort back, but no words came out. I couldn't think of anything bad enough to say, and I was too nice to say the words that came to my mind. Instead of saying anything, I turned my back on him and walked away.

Chad was the one I looked for as I made my way around the non-skating part of the building, studying both the ice and the tables around the food area for his blonde head. I had to apologize to him for leaving him lying on the ice, going off with his brother, and inviting his family along in the first place.

Before I could say any of that, I had to kill him for letting me go off with his brother all night without any warning about the kind of guy he was. He was going to pay for that move.

* * *

One good thing about little sisters, the only good thing I could think of actually, was that sometimes, you could train them to do whatever you said. Kimberly was one of the trainable ones. As mom, dad, and Mrs. Munroe sat in the food area with us, one table over from the booth I'd dragged Kimberly over to, I leaned across the table so I could talk to her without the adults overhearing.

"I want you to go find Sonny," I started to say.

"Ok!"

I grabbed her arm as she tried to run off, pulling her back to me.

"I want you to find Sonny," I said again, "And bring her back to me. I don't care if she's with Bryson or not. Come up with some sort of excuse to bring her back to this booth, got it?"

"What kind of excuse?"

I rolled my eyes as I replied. "It doesn't matter what kind of excuse; just go find Sonny!"

"You don't have to have a cow," she informed me before sticking her nose into the air and walking away.

With all three adults staring at me, I knew I couldn't just sit there and wait for Kimberly to return. I joined the line at the food counter, trying to ignore all the shouts of, "It's Chad Dylan Cooper!" All I wanted was a simple ice cream cone. When I told that to the man behind the counter, he made me the cone as fast as he could and wouldn't let me pay for it, saying it was on the house. Half of it was already gone by the time I made it back to the table.

I hated the fact I'd let Bryson steal Sonny away from me all night. It killed me to watch the two of them skate away, leaving me on the ice for some random people to help up and escort me to the wall. I'd stayed there for a long time, watching the two of them skate. Oh sure, they were cute together and seemed to be getting along great.

What would happen when Sonny found out the truth about Bryson, which was, to put it simply, that he liked what he saw and went for it?

Sonny's happy time was almost over, I was sure of it. When I saw her and Bryson skating together during the couples skate, she wasn't even looking at him as she skated, watching the other happy couples instead. She had no idea about the look he was giving her. I knew my brother though, and I knew that look in his eyes.

Hopefully she'd come running back to me after leaving Bryson. Maybe I was reading her all wrong; maybe she was dumb enough to fall for his game.

I shook that thought out of my head within seconds. Sonny wasn't dumb and even if she did like Bryson, which I doubted she did (he was just a football player; I was the actor. If either of us were going to get picked, it would be me), she would figure it out that he didn't really like her back and was just trying to get lucky for a night.

If I waited long enough, Sonny would come find me. But Kimberly came back after the couples skate sooner and I was sick of waiting.

Before I could finish all my ice cream (which is saying a lot, considering how fast I was eating it), Kimberly was running toward the booth, pulling Sonny along by her hand.

"That's strange," Sonny said as she sat down across from me, pulling Kimberly onto her lap. "It doesn't look like he's getting eaten by a t-rex to me."

I glared at my sister, but she shrugged her shoulders innocently.

"You told me to use any excuse!"

Sonny laughed, hugged Kimberly closer to her, and turned her eyes to meet mine above Kimberly's head. "I knew she was lying about the excuse, but I thought if you wanted to talk to me badly enough to make this sweet little girl lie, it must be important."

"It is important," I agreed. "I was wondering if you regretted inviting my family tonight or if you've actually enjoyed the evening."

"I don't regret inviting them," Sonny replied, nodding to Kimberly. "Your sister's really good at coming up with excuses. We could probably use her on So Random! And your parents are both really nice, too. I don't know why you got so mad when I called your mom today."

I noticed she left out one name.

"What about Bryson?" I insisted, wanting her to jump at the bait. "Do you regret him coming tonight?"

Sonny pretended to think about her answer. When she finally replied, she surprised me.

"I don't regret Bryson coming along, but I do wish you wouldn't have let him take me away all night. I would've liked to have spent more time with you," she said. Before I could say a word back, she smiled. "But you're forgiven, Chad. Anyone who tunes in to So Random! every week is someone I can't stay mad at!"

I could feel my cheeks starting to turn red as Sonny and Kimberly both laughed. Who cared if Sonny knew I watched So Random! I knew she watched Mackenzie Falls every week, too. At least both of our secrets were out in the open.

Sonny stopped laughing after a few moments and instead studied me, squinting her eyes.

"What?" I asked quickly, wondering if there was something in my teeth.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she said, shaking her head. "I'm sure it's just the lighting in here, that's all."

"What's the lighting?"

"It's nothing," she reassured me. "From here, it just looks like you have something on your nose."

My hands instantly flew to my face as I demanded, "Where?"

"Right about…" Sonny paused as she leaned both hers and Kimberly's bodies forward, extending a hand toward my face. Thinking she was going to help me, I closed my eyes. I knew something was wrong when I felt her hand cover mine and push upward. "There!"

Kimberly laughed loudly and I had a feeling I knew why. Sonny had just pushed what was left of my ice cream into my face.

The adults started laughing along with Kimberly, Sonny hid her head behind the girl in her lap, and despite myself, I was laughing, too. It wasn't the typical end to most of my Tuesdays, but it was good nevertheless.

Any night with Sonny was a good one.


	5. Waterfall Wednesday

This is still one of my favorite chapters.

Who has actually visited a real waterfall before? Share your story with me in a review!

Disclaimer: Ohh, this part is so boring. I own nothing. Thanks for caring.

* * *

Waterfall Wednesday

Chad warned me before we went our separate ways last night not to worry about what time I showed up at the studio today.

"It's late," he said, shaking his head as he looked at his watch, "So if you feel like sleeping in, go for it. Since a up at Condor Studios episode of Mackenzie Falls is on every Wednesday, we don't do much during the day besides take it easy and celebrate."

"Basically what you're telling me is Wednesday is just like every other day?" I'd asked him, giving his shoulder a friendly punch.

"I guess so," he'd replied, returning the gesture. "If that's what you and the Randoms do every day on your set."

I would've fought with him about it, but Bryson picked that moment to join us. Giving them both a hasty goodbye, I went to find my mom. The last thing I wanted was more time with the older Cooper.

Mom tried talking to me about how nice Chad and his family seemed to be, but I didn't listen to her enough to take in even half of what she said. The skating rink didn't usually stay open pass early evening, but when they recognized Chad and me, we had an invitation to stay as late as we wanted. By the time everyone made it to the parking lot, Kimberly was out like a light and was being carried by Mr. Cooper.

All in all, it had ended up being a good night. Bryson had found some other girl to hit on, the adults went on talking, and Chad and I joked around until Kimberly fell asleep in my lap. She really was the greatest little girl; sweet, cute, and So Random!'s biggest fan, everything I would've asked for in a little sister of my own. I couldn't help but smile as she snored softly.

When I glanced up from the sleeping figure, realizing Chad had gone silent, it didn't take me long to figure out why he wasn't talking. His eyes were on me, and there was something in them I didn't recognize. Usually he was easy for me to read; I could tell when he was angry and when he was pretending, when he was lying about not liking me, when he acted tough around everyone just to show off…His eyes were the window to his emotions and I'd become pretty good at reading them since I'd arrived in Hollywood.

But as he sat across from me, for the first time in my life, I had no idea what he was thinking about. He was leaning forward the tiniest bit, and his cheeks were high as he smiled gently, his eyes glazed over. It was almost like he was thinking the same thing I was:

Kimberly and I could become close friends if we wanted to. She was younger than me, that was for sure, but I could see the two of us bonding anyway. If Chad and I ever went out and I saw her again, that is.

Once Chad noticed I was staring at him, he'd shaken his head back and forth then flipped the few strands of hair that had fallen into his eyes away. He'd started talking again, the moment passing without any explanation.

I was too tired to think about Chad on the way home, and when I got to the apartment, it was in a zombie-like mode that I somehow made it to my bed, collapsing without bothering to change into my pajamas. My legs were sore from all the skating, my ankles were shaking from exhaustion, and I was ready to sleep for ten or eleven hours.

My phone had other plans for me. It started mooing, I jumped awake, and with the sun already coming in through the window, I knew I wasn't going back to sleep. With a lot more effort than it usually took, I put the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes.

"Where are you? It's 8:30 already, you should've been here half an hour ago!"

"Portlyn?" My voice was more than a little groggy. "How did you get my number? Are you using Chad's phone?"

"Actually, it's my phone," a new voice said (was that Tawni?) before Portlyn spoke again. "Sonny, you need to get to the studio right away! And come in through the So Random! entrance; I don't want Chad to see you."

Maybe I was too tired for the conversation to make sense, or maybe the two of them were finally losing their minds.

"Why can't Chad see me? I thought the whole goal of this week was for him to see me as much as possible?"

"Just hang up your phone and get down here, Sonny," Tawni ordered. "Do you think I would let Portlyn in my dressing room if it wasn't for something very important?"

Sighing loudly, I dragged my body up until I was standing, barely keeping my balance when I tried to take a step forward. My legs and ankles were still sore from the skating; I hadn't given them enough time to rest.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was a typical Wednesday morning on the Mackenzie Falls set. Everyone was gathered in the same room as the chocolate fountain, sitting around on the couches and taking it easy. No one would do anything else until lunchtime, which was when they would finally migrate to another room. After that, the next feeding time would be dinner, which they would all eat together while watching the premier of the newest episode of Mackenzie Falls.

I had no idea when Sonny was going to show up. The only reason I was there was because I was the leader and everyone would notice if I wasn't on the set. Still, it had taken a lot of work to make it out of bed and get around. Two late nights in a row had taken their toll.

Sitting in a quiet room on a comfortable couch wasn't doing much to help me keep my eyes open. I needed something to do, some sort of activity that would make me seem more awake when Sonny finally showed up. I needed-

Portlyn to follow me into the hallway.

She was sitting across the room from me, but when I stared at her for several moments, she finally met my eyes. No one else seemed to notice as I nodded my head slightly, hoping she would get the message. When she just sat there, I got to my feet.

"Where are you going?" Trevor asked as I headed toward the door.

"If you had to know, your name would be Chad Dylan Cooper," I told him before heading out, stopping long enough to give Portlyn a look. This time, she took the hint.

I waited for her in the hallway, leaning against the wall as I thought about what I was going to tell her. She already knew about the Sonny thing, so she was the only one I could talk to about it. And today, I needed someone to talk to.

Many, many thoughts had been roaming around my head since last night: the feeling I had when Sonny had first taken my hand, the jealously I felt when she left me for Bryson, and the shock I felt when Kimberly fell asleep in her lap. Kimberly, as sweet as she seemed, was the hardest person in the world to put to sleep. If she didn't have the perfect bed with her special blanket and her favorite stuffed animal, forget about getting any sleep yourself. Somehow, Sonny had broken the chain. Kimberly fell asleep, a deep sleep too since she didn't budge when dad took her from Sonny, and the way Sonny looked as she gazed down at my sister, resting her head on top of hers gently…

In that moment, I had seen more than Sonny holding my baby sister. I'd seen her years down the road, cradling other blonde children, _our _blonde children. I could see her clear as day rocking the kids to sleep and cuddling with them, just as she was doing with Kimberly.

It was at that second I knew the truth. I hadn't been confused the whole time Sonny had arrived because I liked her; I was in love with her.

The question was, what happened next? Just because I was in love with Sonny didn't mean she felt the same (although I still had no idea how she couldn't be; I am me, after all). Besides, my week of trying to win her wasn't over yet. Wednesday was my usual ask the girl out day, but I wasn't sure if Sonny and I were to that point or not yet. With her, I wanted everything to be perfect. She wouldn't be gone by Saturday like all the others if I could help it. She was going to be around for awhile, and I didn't want to start off in a bad manner.

That's what I needed to discuss with Portlyn.

I came out of my thoughts when I heard a door open and close. Portlyn was finally in the hallway, looking in both directions. When she saw me, she made her way over, smiling.

"You wanted to talk to me?" she asked, smiling as though she already knew what it was about.

I wasn't going to let her make up my mind for me. Why had I called her into the hallway in the first place? I didn't need to discuss my plans with her. That stupid grin on her face told me she thought she was special, that I was never going to get through the week without her help. I'd show her!

"Today's the day."

Her brow furrowed as she took in my words, trying to figure out what I was talking about. I smiled, popping the collar of my Mackenzie Falls uniform.

"Today's the day," I repeated, partly for her and partly to convince myself what I was saying was true. "I'm going to ask Sonny out."

I watched as Portlyn's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. It was several seconds before she was able to speak.

"You're asking her out today?" she asked, waiting for me to nod my head. "But…You've barely done anything to win her over! How do you know she feels the same way about you? What about the shows? Next week, she's going to be back on her comedy and things will go back to normal around here. Wouldn't you rather wait and make sure you both feel the same way after things are normal again?"

My head was shaking long before she was done talking.

"Look, I've liked Sonny pretty much since she arrived here," I explained, still saying the words for my ears just as much as hers, "And I think it's time I give it a shot. She's free to say yes or she's free to say no. Why shouldn't I at least try?"

Portlyn rose a finger like she was had a reason, but after thinking about it, she lowered it again. After repeating the process several times, I smiled. She couldn't think of a good reason to stop me, which obviously meant I was doing the right thing. If neither of us could find any fault with the idea, then why not follow through?

Patting Portlyn's head, I walked by her as I went to my dressing room, which was where I planned on spending my time until Sonny showed up. If I was going to work up enough courage to ask her out (of course I already had the courage inside; I just needed to find a way to force it out of my mouth), I was going to need some preparation time.

I never saw my fellow cast member pull at her hair angrily before taking off down the hall toward a set I never thought she would be running toward.

* * *

"He's going to WHAT!"

Just like the first night this whole mess started, Tawni, Portlyn, and me were gathered in my old dressing room (the one now overtaken on both sides by Tawni's things). I came in through the So Random! set like they had told me, and they pulled me into the room before I had a chance to greet any of my real cast mates. The first thing they said to me was that today, Chad was going to ask me out.

All sleep was out of my system as I looked back and forth between the two girls, knowing by their silences that I'd heard them right. I could feel my knees going weak, and thankfully the couch was behind me when they finally gave way. Even sitting down, the news wasn't any easier to soak in.

"Chad. Dylan. Cooper. Is. Going. To. Ask. Me. Out."

Each word came out sounding like its own sentence. I couldn't help it; I had to pause between them. Saying them all together without taking a breath between them would make it sound official.

And no way was it official. Portlyn had to have misunderstood Chad or – or something. I mean, why would he ask me out today? His week was only half over and I hadn't done anything to let him know I would say yes if he asked me that. Getting a make-over, not protesting when he came over to my house, ice skating with him…Those were all just friendly nights together. What could possibly be making him think he would get a yes out of me?

Portlyn sat down beside me, putting a comforting arm around my shoulders. I barely felt anything; my whole body had gone numb.

"I know it seems bad," she said in a soothing voice (why did all Mackenzie Falls actors think they knew exactly how to act in any situation?), "But it's really not that bad, Sonny. When you agreed to this plan, you knew this was going to happen."

"Not until Friday or Saturday!" I protested, not bothering to lower my voice when Portlyn covered her ears. She deserved to get a headache; this plan was all her fault. "I thought I would only have to pretend to be his girlfriend for a day! I can't last through three! I'm an actress, not a miracle worker!"

"Sonny, Sonny, Sonny," Portlyn tried to calm me down, putting a hand on each of my shoulders. "You've known all week that Chad was going to end up asking you out. Just because it's happening sooner than we thought doesn't mean you have to start panicking. Handle things the same way you would if today was Friday or Saturday."

"How would I handle if it was Friday or Saturday?"

We'd never really gotten this far when talking about the C.O.W. plot. I knew the main points of the plan: get Chad to think I was falling for him (which obviously was done if he was ready to ask me out), flirt with him as much as possible (becoming easier for me every day), and break his heart once Saturday came around (easy as pie). What was I supposed to do when he asked me out though?

This was all Portlyn's fault. If she wouldn't have found Chad's stupid book and gotten mad about his game, getting Tawni mad in the process, they never would've convinced me to go through with the stupid plan. Now, thanks to the two of them, Chad was going to ask me out after one night of stalking and another ice skating. He was so conceited if he thought I'd fallen for him already. Didn't he know I wasn't like the other girls he chose every week? Hadn't he realized by now I was going to take more work?

Then again, he was Chad Dylan Cooper. He probably took my not pushing him away all week as a sign I was finally returning his feelings. This was a good thing, since that was what I was supposed to be making him think.

But did his big head really lead him to believe it was the day to ask me out? Couldn't it have held out for a few more days?

"Chad told me not to worry about what time I came in today," I said, climbing to my feet. "I think I'll go home and choose to never come in."

"If you go home, he's going to stop by and make sure you're alright," Portlyn pointed out and I knew she was right. "You might as well go meet up with him now and get it over with. Tell him yes, play along for the rest of the week, and go through as planned on Saturday. It won't be that bad."

No, it wouldn't be that bad. Not for her, anyway. She wasn't the one who had to pretend to be going out with Chad Dylan Cooper for the next three days. It wasn't her job to paste a smile on her face as she put up with all of Chad's flirtations, hold his hand, or maybe even partake in the dreaded four letter word. When she'd been Chad's C.O.W., she had wanted to do all that stuff. To me, it would all be torture.

I turned toward the door, ready to find Chad and face the inevitable. Tawni was blocking the way, her silent lips pressed together tightly.

"Why have you been so quiet during this conversation?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Don't you have anything you'd like to add?"

She opened her mouth as though she was going to answer me, but instead of words coming out, she went into a laughing fit.

"Sorry," she apologized several minutes later. "I was just thinking about you and Chad…Being real boyfriend and girlfriend…Posing together on the front page of magazines…Holding hands beneath the moonlight…Kissing-,"

She didn't have a chance to get out a description of the kissing scene before bursting into another fit of hysterics. I glared at Portlyn over my shoulder, but all she did was smile nervously in return. There was nothing she could do to help me.

I was on my own. There were two people on the playing field, and it was up to me how the game was going to end. One thing was for sure:

I was going to be the last one standing.

* * *

The second Sonny walked into the room, I was on my feet, rushing to her side. She seemed more than a little surprised when I suddenly appeared, but when I smiled down at her, she returned it, instantly easing up.

"Hey," I greeted her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Go?" she repeated, confused. "I just got here. Isn't today supposed to be a do nothing day?"

"That's exactly why we're leaving," I explained, walking toward the door. When Sonny didn't follow me, I turned back to look at her. "Come on; I want to show you something."

She seemed nervous, hesitant almost, as she glanced from me to my cast mates, who were all watching the scene going on before them with interest. I had never left them on a Wednesday before and I knew they might be mad at me for what I was about to do. But I wanted – no, I needed – everything to be perfect when I asked Sonny out. For everything to be perfect, the location had to be someplace romantic, a place I was sure Sonny had never been to before.

If we were going to make it before nightfall, we had to get going.

As Sonny stood there, still deciding whether or not she should follow me, I extended my hand toward her, nodding my head when she stared at it. Slowly, her lips turned up into a smile. Without having to say another word, she joined me, taking my hand just like she'd done the night before. After that, it was more than easy to lead her to my car.

Having Sonny sitting beside me was worse than when the instructor had sat there as I took my driving test. It was my first time driving her around, her first ride in my car, and I wanted to impress her. I only drove at or below the speed limit, I slowed down in plenty of time when it came to stopping, and I tried to keep my eyes on the road as much as I could. She really wasn't making that last one easy; her hair was down and blowing around her face as we sped down the road. At first, she tried to hold it down, but she gave up quickly and let it become wind-swept. Even with messy hair, she was still beautiful.

The car was silent for a long time. I was thinking about later tonight, when I would finally ask her the question I'd been waiting to ask for months now, and she was thinking about something, too (at least, that was the only solution I could come up with for her silence. Usually she couldn't stop talking). Eventually she reached over to turn on the radio, but it didn't do much good. We could barely hear the music over the wind.

Neither of us talked until I pulled into the parking lot of a gas station. Only after I shut off the engine did Sonny eye me.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" she asked, nodding toward the building. "Couldn't we have seen one of these a lot closer to the studio?"

"You really think I'd drive for an hour just to show you a gas station?" I retorted, and when she shrugged her shoulders, I shook my head. "I'm stopping here to pick up a few supplies we'll need once we get to the place I'm really taking you."

"Supplies? Where exactly are you taking me that we need 'supplies' for?"

"I'll be back in five minutes," I replied, not answering her question as I jumped out of the car.

When I returned, a cooler in my hands, Sonny had brushed her hair, put on more make-up, and, judging by the new aroma in my car, sprayed on more perfume. I couldn't help but laugh as I opened her door.

"Why are you laughing?" she demanded, folding her arms over her chest instead of taking the hand I held toward her.

"I appreciate your efforts on trying to look good for me," I replied, trying to hide my smile, "But I'm afraid they're not going to do you much good. We're going on a hike."

"A hike?" She glanced around wordlessly before asking, "What are we going to do, walk around the gas station?"

"There's a park right behind the building," I explained, continuing on when she leaned over in her seat, trying to see what I was talking about. "You can't see it from here, but if you'll come with me, I'll prove it to you."

Sonny stayed where she was, her arms still folded as she stared straight ahead, pretending not to see my hand. Shrugging, I walked away, leaving her door open but taking the cooler with me.

"Fine, don't believe me," I said over my shoulder as I walked. "I'll just enjoy my gas station picnic all alone. Maybe I could call Mr. Condor. I bet his daughter would be willing to eat with me."

"Really, Chad? You think I'm going to get jealous of a nine year old girl?"

Her voice was sarcastic, but as I continued on my way, pulling my cell phone out with my free hand, she changed her mind about waiting in the car. She sighed loud enough for me to hear, and a few moments later, I heard the door slam shut. Tucking the phone away, I smiled. I was a genius.

There were only a few people at the park as Sonny and I walked through it (after all, it was Wednesday; most kids were in school) and most of them were ladies watching as their children played around. The kids were too young to be fans of Mackenzie Falls or So Random!, so we were able to walk without everyone shouting our names and asking for our autographs. Even though I loved my fans, I was thankful none of them were there to bother me. Today was all about Sonny and I didn't want anything distracting me.

Sonny tried sitting down on several benches, but when I kept walking, she would get back on her feet, watching me but not saying a word. By the time I walked past the last bench in sight, she was frowning.

"Feel like explaining why we're leaving the park with the cooler still full?" she finally spoke up.

"I told you back at the studio I wanted to show you something," I replied. "Like I said, it's a bit of a hike to get there, but once you see it, you'll love me for showing it to you!"

"I doubt that," I heard her mutter softly.

"What was that?"

"Oh, I was just saying how much I love a good hike!"

Even though she was joking, Sonny wasn't a bad hiker. She stayed right behind me as I led her into the forest to the side of the park, never slowing her pace as we stepped over fallen logs or through small patches of thorns. I was planning on having to take the hike at a walk or maybe even something slower, but Sonny kept up at my brisk pace.

As the ground beneath our feet started slanting up, Sonny did slow down, although when I asked if she wanted to take a break she replied no, she was doing just fine, as she wiped a bead of sweat before it could fall into her eye. Despite her decline, I did start walking a little bit slower. If she noticed, she didn't say a word against it. I'd been on the hike many times before and knew the slant wasn't going to do anything but grow. I would take it as slow as she needed in order to make it alive.

Sonny was panting soon and sweating more than before, her feet dragging along the ground instead of lifting all the way into the air with every step. Knowing she would refuse a break if I asked her, I pretended I was the one who needed to rest. Ten minutes and half a bottle of ice cold water later, we were back to the hike.

My legs were still a little tired from skating last night, and although the hike was normally easy for me to finish within an hour and half, it was an hour after that before I recognized the signs of reaching the top. By that point, Sonny had admitted her defeat and only pressed on because I had her arm and pulled her along, picking her up so I could lift her over any obstacle in the path. When I left her side to run ahead, she almost fell over.

"Wake up, Munroe," I ordered her as I stood in front of a line of tree vines. "We're finally here!"

Her eyes were half closed as she stared at me

"This is it?" she asked, and I could hear the anger rising in her tone. "You made me walk all the way up here so you could show me a tree?"

"No. I brought you up here so I could show you what's behind the tree."

I held the vines out of her way so she could walk through them. She looked like she would rather just collapse where she was, but after a little bit of encouragement, she finally came forward, going through my entrance. Once she was on the other side, she stopped, her mouth falling open.

"Welcome to Mackenzie Falls."

* * *

I was tired, sweaty, angry, and ready to kill Chad when he asked me to walk through the vines. It took a lot of guts for him to ask me to keep moving after forcing me to hike for two and half hours with only one water break. I was sure whatever he had to show me wouldn't be worth it in the long run.

Boy, was I ever wrong. The forest was behind me once I was through the vines and there was nothing but brown dirt and rocks. A few feet away, where the dirt came to an end, water was flowing freely, gushing down the hill Chad and I had just hiked up. A rainbow was at the bottom amidst the steam.

"This is the waterfall you see behind my head in all the Mackenzie Falls posters," Chad explained, coming up behind me. "My director was the one who found it, but I've been coming out here once a week since he told me where it was. I like to sit up here and think. The sound of the water is peaceful to me."

Chad Dylan Cooper had a sensitive side? I couldn't picture him sitting out here alone and enjoying nature, but he had known the way pretty well and loved his show more than anything in the world. Maybe he really did come up here all the time if it reminded him of Mackenzie Fall's roots.

"It's beautiful, Chad!" I exclaimed, wishing some reporter would show up and snap a picture so I could always remember the sight. "How many of your other C.O.W.s have you-,"

I trailed off quickly, trying to avoid Chad's eyes as he looked at me. I'd almost blown the whole plot. He had no idea I knew about his Crush of the Week, and in one simple question, I'd almost told him I knew. He still had a few days left before it was time to figure out that truth, and I needed to think of something to say, something that would take his mind off of my unfinished question.

"What I meant to say was, 'Hey, don't you feel like a cow carrying around all that food'?" I tried, laughing nervously. When Chad continued to stare at me, I took the cooler from him, setting it on the ground. "Are you going to join me on this picnic or do I need to call James?"

Hopefully forgetting about my slip-up, Chad sat down next to the cooler, taking food out of it one item at a time and placing it within my reach. I sat down next to him, exclaiming about how good each of the foods he pulled out were. I was willing to do anything to make him forget about the slip-up, even if it meant being extremely nice. My plan worked; he laughed at my comments and as we both started eating, conversation came easily.

This Chad was easy to talk to. This Chad, the one who talked to me instead of yelled, the one who said nice things instead of put downs, the one who reached over to pull a piece of lettuce from my hair…He was the one I could talk to happily and get along with. The two of us joked all through lunch and there was never an awkward moment. Without our casts there to separate us, we could be ourselves. There was no reason to fight with each other. We had nothing to prove to anyone.

It wasn't until the food was gone and the trash was thrown back into the cooler that I started thinking back to the studio, remembering Portlyn's warning this morning: Chad was going to ask me out. Today. Sometime today, he was going to ask me to be his girlfriend and I had to have an answer ready.

I knew what my answer should've been: yes, Chad, I will go out with you. Portlyn instructed me to say that, or something along those lines, and then play along for the rest of the week. I wanted to do what Portlyn told me to, but…

Something didn't feel right about her plan. Saying yes to Chad would mean I was falling in love with him. He would believe I really was in love, so when I broke his heart on Saturday, it would hurt more than it was supposed to. He was supposed to be crushed, not ran over with both the front tire and the back. Telling him I was in love first and then letting him know it was all just a joke…

Maybe there was some other answer I could give. Could I say no to Chad today and still go through with the plan on Saturday or would he give up on me if I said no, thus ruining everything I was working toward? How could I say no and still give him hope that I might say yes later? How could I say yes and tell him I wasn't head over heels for him at the same time?

It was a lose-lose situation. No matter what answer I gave, something was going to go wrong. Why had I even agreed to this stupid plan in the first place?

"Sonny?" Chad asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I lied quickly.

"Are you sure? I've been trying to talk to you for the past few minutes and you just keep staring off into space like you can't hear a word I'm saying."

I had to stop thinking so much. Right now, I had to concentrate on Chad so he wouldn't figure out what I was really thinking about. He couldn't know that I knew what he had planned for me, and if I kept zoning out, eventually he would ask what was wrong and he'd see through my excuse and I'd have to tell him the truth.

When the moment came, I would start worrying about my answer again. Until then, I had to act like myself.

"I'm fine," I said again, giving Chad my best smile. When he gave me a dubious look, I went on. "Really, I am. I'm really happy you showed me the waterfall, Chad, and the lunch was great. I had a really fun time today."

As I turned around, heading back to the vines we'd walked through to get to the waterfall, I stopped when I felt a hand on my arm.

"Where are you going?" Chad asked, looking confused.

"Shouldn't we be heading back to the studio?" I answered his question with my own. "It's going to take awhile to hike back down to the car; don't you want to get back in time to watch the new episode of Mackenzie Falls with your cast?"

To my surprise, Chad scoffed as though he'd never heard a dumber idea.

"I could care less about making it back in time to see the show," he told me. "Mackenzie Falls will be on again. We can only have this moment together now."

It was a cute line, and of course, I fell for it. I smiled, he returned it, and when he moved his hand from my elbow to my wrist, I finished the gesture until my fingers were twined with his again. He led me to the edge of the dirt, pulling both of us down so we were sitting close enough to the water that we could feel little drops of it hitting our faces.

Sleep overtook me. I didn't mean for it to happen; Chad was the last person in the world I expected to ever fall asleep with. But after the skating rink last night, the early wake-up call, and the too long hike, I was more tired than I thought. As Chad put one arm around my shoulders, holding my hand with his free one tightly, I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Was it just me, or was it a bit too fast?

One second I was sitting there, counting how many times his heart beat every second. The next, the sun was setting. Had I really slept all afternoon?

"Hey, sleepyhead," Chad greeted me. He'd let go of my hand sometime during my nap and used his free hand to brush my hair from my face. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I accused, pulling away from him so I could climb to my feet. After so many hours of sitting, my legs felt like jelly. "You brought me here to spend time with me, not to watch me sleep."

"Every minute I spend with you is a blessing whether you're enjoying it with me or not."

I almost let him know how cute that line was, but I stopped myself just in time. He was climbing to his feet as well, and as he did, he took both my hands in his.

It was time. He was going to ask me out, and I still had no idea what to tell him. Yes like Portlyn thought was best or no like I wanted to scream?

* * *

As Sonny watched me with wide eyes, I said the words I'd been practicing in my head since she'd fallen asleep:

"Sonny, I know I don't always treat you like the greatest person in the world," I started out. "Heck, sometimes I don't even treat you like a person at all. I've had a lot of fun with you this week, and being around you so much has made me realize something I didn't know before: I actually like to spend time with you. Even if you are just a Random and I'm the greatest actor of our generation, I think that between us, we could have something amazing. If we'd give ourselves a chance instead of fighting every minute we're together, we could be so much more. We could be friends. Maybe even best friends. Or, if we're lucky, we could be more than friends."

Sonny opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but I put my fingers over her lips. If she tried to stop me now, she would be able to succeed only too easily. As much as I wanted to get the question out, I couldn't stop shaking and I was having a hard time recalling the words I'd just said. I never got nervous when I asked out a girl. Why did Sonny have to be the one exception?

"If you will give us a chance, Sonny, I would like to be more than just friends with you," I went on, my finger still resting on her lips. I stared into her eyes as I said the next six words, the six words I'd been waiting to say for months now: "Will you go out with me?"

Remembering about my finger, I moved it quickly, taking her hand again instead. I watched as she stared back at me, shaking her head slightly. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but no words ever came out. I waited anxiously, begging her to say something, anything. Even screaming no into my face was better than silence.

I don't know how long Sonny was actually quiet for, but to me, it felt like forever. When she finally spoke, I leaned closer, hanging on her every word.

"Maybe."

Maybe? Maybe? After everything I'd just said, the best she could come up with was maybe?

"Look, Chad," she went on, more than likely knowing what I was thinking by the expression on my face (I am a great actor, after all). "I've really liked getting to know you during the past few days, but…I'm not sure if I really like you enough to date you."

"When will you know if you like me enough?" I demanded.

"I don't know. 48 hours from now, I guess?"

48 hours. 48 short hours and I would finally know what Sonny felt about me. I would know if she was willing to put everything at risk like I was in hopes that whatever the two of us found together would be better. 48 hours until I was sure she would give me a yes.

I was ready to agree to her terms when I closed my mouth. I couldn't let her take over; this was my week, not hers. If I let her wear the pants now, she'd never let me forget it and the rest of our relationship would be her trying to be the boss and me fighting back. We'd go straight back to the fighting thing we had going on now.

Yes, I would give her the time she needed, but only if she agreed to my terms.

"Alright, Munroe," I said, nodding my head. "You can have your 48 hours to make up your mind. But during those 48 hours, I'm allowed to do anything I can think of to win you over, no limitations."

The goal of the week was to make her fall for me. She already was falling, but she still didn't see it, which meant it was time for me to step up my game. I was sure I could change her mind in a lot less than 48 hours.

Sonny looked surprised at first, her mouth hanging open, but when I held out my hand to shake on the deal, she slipped hers into mine.

"You have 48 hours, Cooper," she said, smiling cockily. "Go ahead and start winning me over."

I leaned down, but before I had a chance to kiss her, she turned her head, only letting my lips brush against her cheek. When I stood back to my full height, she shook her head at me.

"You may have no limitations," she said, "But I still do. Sorry, but I don't kiss on the first date."

"What about the past two days?" I demanded. "Don't you count either of them as dates?"

"You know, I really don't like that tone. For trying to win me over, you're not off to a very good start."

I hated when she was right.

* * *

The perfect compromise popped into my head as soon as Chad asked the question: asking for more time to decide. That way, I had until Friday before I had to give him an answer, and he still had to spend the rest of the week trying to make me fall for him. The only difference was that now I could refuse him if I wanted to. He was playing the game to win, and I didn't have to let him know he was winning until I agreed to be his girlfriend. Until then, I was free to make him work for me as much as I wanted him to.

Mom was in bed by the time I got home, but she left the television on and I noticed right away she'd remembered to record Mackenzie Falls for me. I could've stayed up and watched it; I wasn't tired since I spent the entire afternoon sleeping. I wasn't in the mood for any more Chad. I'd had enough of him for one day.

After taking a long shower, changing into my favorite pair of pajamas, and grabbing a bowl of ice cream, I headed to my room, ready to finally try to sleep. Just as I laid my head on my pillow, my phone started mooing.

It wasn't a phone call this time, but rather a text message. I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw Chad's name as the sender, and I was rolling my eyes as I opened it. I couldn't stop smiling after reading his final words of the night:

_I've been trying to fall asleep for awhile now, but I can't because I keep thinking about you. You're the cutest girl I know, Sonny Munroe, not to mention the funniest. I hope you had just as much fun today as I did; I can't wait to see you tomorrow. _

_Love, _

_C.D.C._

_P.S. Don't forget tomorrow is our turn to rehearse together. Can't wait!_


	6. Take Along Thursday

How many of YOU have been to a Hollywood party?

Disclaimer: La la la...I own nothing.

* * *

Take-Along Thursday

With less than 48 hours left to make Sonny realize how much in love with me she really was, it was time to turn my Chad Charm up a few notches. Never before had I needed to fight so hard for someone, but there was no doubt in my mind I could do it. Chad Dylan Cooper knows how to impress the ladies.

I texted her bright and early this morning, letting her know she didn't need to ask her mom for a ride to the studio because I'd arranged for someone to pick her up. She skipped out of the apartment complex with a huge smile on her face, probably expecting to see a limo or something extraordinary waiting for her. When she saw my car was the one sitting in the parking lot, her mouth fell open.

"Good morning," I greeted as she sat down in the passenger seat. "I trust you had a good night?"

"This is it?" she asked, fastening her seatbelt and ignoring my question. "No white horse so we could go into the sunrise together and you could pretend to be my knight in shining armor?"

"Well, that ruins tomorrow's surprise."

She looked at me and I knew she was trying to tell whether or not I was kidding, but I kept my eyes on the road as I pulled out of the parking lot, pretending I didn't notice her stare.

"You're being quiet," she informed me a few minutes later. "It's so…un-Chad like of you. Usually you would've made fun of my outfit or my hair or something by now."

Taking my eyes off the road long enough to glance at Sonny, I saw nothing I would've made fun of even if I wasn't being super nice. She had on her Mackenzie Falls uniform and had her hair done the same way as the very first time she'd visited my set.

"Why would I make fun of either your outfit or your hair?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders. "They both look cute today."

'Just like every day,' I added in my head before punishing myself. 'Stupid cute. Stupid Sonny for being cute. If she could just be average looking like Portlyn or Tawni, my life would be a lot less complicated. For one thing, I wouldn't be stuck in this stupid bet right now. Since when has Chad Dylan Cooper ever succumbed to a girl?'

Sonny smiled at me in response to my words, and I returned it, trying to push away my thoughts. If a normal girl asked me to try this hard with her, I knew what my response would be: Get lost! For Sonny, it was worth it.

Instead of waiting for me to open her door for her, Sonny got out of the car as soon as it was parked in front of the Mackenzie Falls set. I climbed out as fast as I can, rushing to her side. She looked surprised when I held open the door for her, but didn't say a word as she walked through. I followed her, slipping my arm around her waist as we headed toward the Meeting House.

"You might want to move your arm before we go in," Sonny warned once we were a few feet from the open door.

"Why would I do that?"

"Someone might see us and think we actually like each other."

I laughed as I tightened my grip around her.

"Funny, funny little Sonny," I said, waiting for her to look at me before going on. "Don't you remember when that reporter was following you around and I made myself out to seem better than I really am? If I can convince the world of that, I can lead my own cast to believe whatever I want them to."

If she didn't want everyone to think we liked each other (although it was obvious we did), then I would tell everyone we were getting into our characters. It was an excuse they would all buy, and if it made Sonny happy, I would use it. The next two days were hers; anything she wanted, she would get.

* * *

"I honestly don't see what the big deal is, Sonny," Portlyn said later that day. Work was done and the two of us were hanging out in my (really her) dressing room, discussing the C.O.W. thing. "It's great that you're making Chad work for you. Didn't you see the way he acted around you today?"

Of course I noticed Chad's behavior around me; everyone on the set of Mackenzie Falls noticed Chad's difference. It still wasn't a filming day (what were they going to do, save all the filming for Saturday?), but it was time to act out the entire script from beginning to end.

Chad already over did his lines, being more dramatic than he needed to be, but when it came to the parts where Macy was there, he took things to a new level. When I walked onto the set at Portlyn's side for my first appearance, even though the script simply read 'Mackenzie and Macy make eye contact and hug each other', Chad ran toward me, actually taking my feet off the ground with his hug and spinning me around. As Mackenzie and Macy exclaimed over how long it had been since their last meeting, the look on Chad's face, the happiness the script ordered him to show – something about it seemed too real.

Portlyn, Penelope, Devon, Chloe, and Trevor all watched with open mouths as Chad and I performed the one scene during the whole episode where it was just the two of us on camera. It was a scene where Mackenzie gently let Macy down, explaining that although he still had feelings for her and she for him, it would never work out between them since he was so rich and had girls fighting over him. Apparently he wasn't ready to settle down yet, and although my script told me to 'burst into a crying fit', no real tears came out as I turned my back to Chad, covering my eyes as I let out fake wails. I felt his arms wrap around me as he pulled Macy in for a hug, apologizing for hurting her feelings and asking for one last kiss.

I was going to kiss Chad that moment. The script said I had to, but even if it didn't, I probably would've done it anyway. Chad met my eyes, blue to brown, and as we started to lean closer and closer, I forgot we were on his set with his cast watching us, waiting for the moment to come. Yes, I was getting lost in his eyes, the blue eyes I promised myself I would never get lost in.

Thankfully, Chad shouted "Cut!", explaining we would save the kiss until filming day. My trance over, I grabbed Portlyn's arm and drug her into the dressing room we were both standing in now which was when I finally filled her in about the week up to the part where I'd given Chad 48 hours to impress me. She seemed to think things were going perfectly so far; I didn't agree.

"I guess it all just feels a little…strange," I shrugged, unable to think of a better word. "Chad and I have always fought so much. Now that he's being nice, it seems weird."

"Are you saying you don't like him when he's nice?" Portlyn asked, her voice sounding confused.

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all! Chad's great when he's nice," I replied. "I just don't know if I like him better like that or when he's mean, you know? I've gotten so used to the old him; it feels unnatural to go a day without fighting."

Portlyn smiled as she put an arm over my shoulders, laughing gently.

"Don't worry about it, Sonny. Nice Chad is only going to be around for a few more days. After you break his heart, he'll go right back over to the Chad you know and love," she assured me. When I didn't join in with her laughing, she stopped abruptly. "You are still planning on going through with everything, aren't you?"

I wanted to tell her yes. I wanted to say I was still on board, that the thought of breaking Chad's heart was the only thing getting me through the week. But I couldn't tell her any of that because I wasn't sure if it was true.

Sure, Chad was still the same old Chad. I was his C.O.W. and that was the only reason he was being nice to me-

Or was it?

What if Chad wasn't just being nice because he wanted to go out with me and break up again on Saturday? I knew he'd liked me for more than one week; the book Portlyn had shown me less than seven days ago proved that. Maybe for some reason I would never understand, Chad really did like me and didn't have the same plans for me he usually had on the weekends. Was it possible that if I became his girlfriend, the C.O.W. thing would end this week?

If Chad was thinking like that, then what was I doing by breaking his heart? His games would stop if I said yes to him; wouldn't that be a better solution?

Who was I kidding? I didn't want to really date Chad. No matter how much everyone thought I was in love with him, I wasn't. We hadn't even become friends until a few days ago. How was I supposed to cross the line from friendship to more than friends within a mere matter of days?

"You're not really falling for him, are you?" Portlyn asked, her voice breaking into my thoughts. "Tawni and I picked you to do this because we knew you wouldn't fall through. You're not falling through, are you?"

A knock sounded on the door before I could answer her. I went to answer it quickly, wanting to get as far away from Portlyn as I could. I needed time to think of an answer, and hopefully the visitor would give me the time I needed.

My hope died when I saw who was standing on the other side of the door. He was the only one I wanted to talk to less than Portlyn.

"We're leaving in ten minutes," Chad said as he smiled down at me.

"Leaving?" I repeated him, stalling for time. Maybe if I kept him standing there for the next ten minutes, I could delay whatever plans he had a little bit longer. "Where are we going tonight? To the movies? Bowling? Out for ice cream?"

"Close. We're going to a Hollywood party!"

I could feel my jaw drop

"A Hollywood party? Wow, I'm sorry, Chad, but I don't have anything to wear, and I-,"

He pulled a hand I hadn't noticed was behind his back out, showing off a hanger with a bag dangling off it.

"Here's your dress," he said, waiting for my numb fingers to take it from him. "Portlyn, since you're already here anyway, help her get ready. Chad Dylan Cooper can only show up with the best people at the party." He winked at me, nearly making my breath stop. "See you in ten, Munroe."

I was going to a Hollywood party. That part was no big deal, considering So Random! had attended a few of them as well, although not nearly as many as the cast of Mackenzie Falls. No, the big deal was my date for the night. It was going to be me and Chad together, in front of our fans, other stars, and tons of reporters.

Well, at least I knew one thing was for sure: tonight was going to be interesting.

* * *

The Hollywood party was for one of my friends. He threw a party at least once a month because he was rich and had a big enough allowance to rent out the entire Plaza Hotel. There was no reason behind his parties other than he was bored and wanted to have some fun, but stars always showed up, which, of course, meant the media did, too. Every month, I showed up with the rest of my cast and usually we ended up on the front page of Tween Weekly. It was sort of our tradition.

Tonight, I was changing things up a little bit. Sonny and I were going to show up together with the rest of the cast arriving shortly. That way, we could still advertise Mackenzie Falls and I could have only Sonny in my car with me.

I had to hand it to Portlyn. She could fix someone up almost faster than a make-up artist. When I knocked on the door exactly ten minutes after dropping off the dress, she had Sonny ready to go: red dress much less hideous than the one she'd worn to prom, high-heeled shoes, and her hair done up. I would've taken Sonny even if she'd stayed in her Mackenzie Falls uniform, but seeing her in the dress-

Well, that certainly made my night better.

Sonny didn't stop talking the whole way to the Hotel. She went on and on about other Hollywood parties she'd been to, how much she loved the dress, and wouldn't stop thanking me for inviting her. I didn't get to add much to the conversation; she was chatting up a storm and was too excited to shut her mouth long enough to listen to me. Eventually I learned to keep my mouth shut and just smile whenever she turned her attention to me. It was much easier than trying to get out any words.

"We're here, we're here!" she cried out once we finally arrived, clutching at my arm. "Can you believe we're here? I can't believe it!"

"I can believe that if you don't let go of my arm, we might end up crashing."

She withdrew her hands quickly and turned her attention to the Hotel instead, watching as limo after limo pulled up, dropping off stars on the red carpet. Fans and reporters alike stood behind lines and even from our spot across the street, I could hear their loud exclamations. Did fans always have to be so crazy?

As Sonny began to pull open her door, I stopped her quickly.

"From this moment on, we could have the cameras on us at any minute," I explained, already opening my door and getting out so I could walk over to hers. "I know you've been to these things before, but you've never been to one with Chad Dylan Cooper. No matter what happens, I need you to stay calm and keep your cool, alright?"

"Keep my cool," she echoed, nodding her head. "Keep my cool. I can do that, no problem!"

We crossed the street together, making sure no limos were coming, and once the fans noticed who was walking on the red carpet, they started screaming louder than ever before. I stayed behind Sonny, trying to make sure she didn't stop, but the flashing of the cameras and microphones being shoved into her face seemed to slow her down. It probably didn't help that everyone was shouting out questions.

"Miss Munroe, there's a rumor going around that you're going to be guest starring on the next episode of Mackenzie Falls. Would you like to confirm that rumor?"

"Mr. Cooper, we can't help but notice the rest of your cast has not arrived. Are they planning on showing up later or are you in the middle of a feud? The same question goes for you and the cast of So Random!, Miss Munroe."

"Miss Munroe and Mr. Cooper, are you two attending this party as a couple?"

The questions went on and on, but I kept my hand on Sonny's back, gently pushing her forward. I'd figured out during the years it was best to ignore the media most of the time unless it was a one-on-one meeting. Otherwise, they liked to take whatever you said and twist it into something else, claiming it was too loud to hear your answer when you shouted it.

Finally, Sonny and I made it into the Hotel, letting the door slam behind us, putting an end to all the annoying questions. Music started breaking our eardrums instead, and it was with a smile that I motioned for Sonny to walk ahead of me.

"Welcome to your first real Hollywood party," I said, taking her hand in mine.

"As much as I hate to say it," she said, and I had to lean in close to hear her over the music, "I'm glad I came here with you, Chad. Out of all the snobby stars here, I'm glad I got stuck with you."

I took Sonny around the party, pointing out everything I could. I introduced her to my friend throwing it, explained to her the room we'd walked into at first was the place where people could stand around and talk if they wanted to, and then took her into the main room where there was loud music, dark lights, a snack table, and a few reporters.

Sonny knew most of the people on the dance floor. She would shout out their names without me having to tell her who they were, and when all signs pointed toward a never ending speech like in the car, I stood up from the table we were sitting at.

"How about instead of talking about all the people dancing, we join them?" I asked, offering her my hand.

She looked toward the reporters, who were all pushed into one corner, trying to snap whatever pictures they could.

"Are you sure you want to dance with me?" she asked dubiously. "Someone might get a picture of us and everyone will know you came here with me."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is a bad thing, Chad. The world thinks we hate each other. If they find out you came here tonight with a Random-,"

"I don't care what people think about me," I cut her off. "If people get mad at me for dancing with you, then it's their problem. Please dance with me, Sonny. Please?"

At first she didn't move, but when I stood there, staring down at her as she tried to avoid my eyes, she finally sighed.

"You're such a pain sometimes, Cooper," she said, taking my hand as she climbed to her feet.

"As long as I'm your pain, I'm alright with that," I replied as I led her into the throng of dancers.

A fast song was playing as Sonny and I faced each other, and I realized I had no idea what to do. With most girls, fast dancing was easy. All I had to do was dance beside them, making sure I looked good and hoping they knew how to dance so they wouldn't look stupid. But I had asked Sonny to dance with me. Did that mean I should touch her every minute of the dance? How was I supposed to dance to the fast tempo while I was holding her?

As if on cue, the fast song ended and a slow one began. I knew how to dance slowly; it was one of my favorite things to do at these parties, besides making sure I was in as many pictures as possible so I could brag to the So Random! cast about it later. This time, it was the butterflies in my stomach and the blush taking over Sonny's cheeks keeping me from touching her.

Wait…Sonny was blushing? She was finally blushing! Five days into my week, and the blush I'd been waiting to see was finally here. Knowing I was beginning to break through her shield, I felt strength surge me I hadn't known was there. My hands began to travel toward her waist-

And that was when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was one of the reporters, and when I tried telling him I was busy, he insisted I'd said the same thing last time before promising him an interview next time I saw him. Turning my back to him, he went on and on about how he was going to write a horrible article about me if I didn't cooperate that would make all my fans turn against me. He wasn't going to leave me alone. As much as I didn't want to leave Sonny, I didn't see a way around it.

"I'll be back," I promised her, but just as I knew she would, her face grew angry. "I don't want to do the interview, but-,"

"You don't have to come up with excuses for me, Chad," she interrupted. "It's your 48 hours, remember? If you want to waste them with reporters, go for it."

I could tell it was going to take a lot to make it up for her, and I desperately tried to think of an excuse, any excuse, to give the reporter so I could stay with her. He kept going on and on though and just to shut him up I followed him to the other side of the room.

When I glanced back over my shoulder to Sonny, she was no longer on the dance floor. She was gone.

* * *

If Chad thought I was going to sit around all night and wait for him to finish his little interview, he had another thing coming. I was Sonny Munroe, an actress who attended Hollywood parties all the time. I was every bit as cool as Chad and I didn't need him at my side in order to have a good time.

Stupid Chad and his stupid efforts to win me over. Inviting me to a Hollywood party, asking me to dance, and then ditching me on the dance floor. If that was supposed to make me fall in love with him, it wasn't working. As a matter if fact, if he kept up at this rate, I would say yes tomorrow night when he asked me again to be his girlfriend just so I could crush him all the harder on Saturday. Who cared if I didn't like the idea of breaking his heart, or that I was having feelings for him I had no idea what they meant. None of that mattered if he was going to ignore me anyway.

I was walking quickly as I headed toward the talking area, not really paying attention to where I was going. My thoughts were on Chad and Chad alone, not the other people there around me. It was too late to stop myself when I plowed into someone, nearly falling to the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I apologized as I caught my balance just in time, turning to the person who I'd walked into. "I wasn't paying attention, it was my fault, I should've-,"

My voice stopped when I realized who I was talking to. He looked familiar to me somehow, and I was sure I had seen him somewhere before. Judging by the way he stared back, he was thinking the same thing.

"Sonny?" he asked slowly.

"Hayden?" I asked back, wondering if that was the right name.

He smiled widely and I knew I was right. He was Hayden, the boy Tawni had had a crush on awhile ago and whom I had got caught kissing on the Kiss Cam. I hadn't seen him since the night he and Tawni had a date at my apartment, and even though we weren't best friends, I found my arms wrapping around his neck as I hugged him. He chuckled as he hugged me back.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded once we let go of each other. "Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, because I totally am, but last time I checked, you weren't famous!"

A normal person probably would've taken offense at that, but Hayden only laughed. He always did have a nice personality.

"Actually, Tawni felt bad for lying to me about that date we had at your apartment," he explained. "She set me up an audition and now I'm on a television show! I'm not in it every week like you are with yours, but I'm on enough that my name is in the opening credits."

"That's great news!"

I was going to hug him again, but then I remembered we'd just finished hugging. Instead, I nodded toward the dancing room.

"Do you want to dance for awhile?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied, looking nervous. "Didn't you show up with Chad Dylan Cooper? I don't want him to get mad at me or anything."

"Chad's not going to get mad at you," I promised, not able to keep the scowl from crossing my face when I said the jerk-throb's name. "He's…busy right now anyway, and I'm feeling a little bit on the bored side. So, how about it?"

I nudged his arm, smiling as big as I could, trying to convince him dancing would be fun. He laughed and agreed, following me as I led him to the dance floor. It wasn't long before we were in the midst of other stars, all of whom wanted to hang out with the two of us and thought we were amazing dancers.

Through it all, I hoped Chad would look over and see how much fun I was having without him. My goal was to make him jealous, to make him think I didn't need him since he apparently felt that way about me.

If I happened to have a good time with Hayden in the process and exchange cell phone numbers with him, then so be it. I was still free until tomorrow night, and even then, I'd be free again the night after that.

Chad was letting me go, and if he didn't like it, he could leave his stupid interview and separate me from Hayden. Otherwise, he could forget about me falling for him before the end of the bet.

* * *

I saw right away when Sonny and what's-his-name made their way to the dance floor. He looked familiar to me – was that the boy she'd kissed? – and I wanted to go out there and punch in his face for dancing with my girl. The reporter wasn't taking the hint about all my curt answers. He kept pressing on with question after question, ignoring my glances toward the dancers. Did Sonny really have to keep the same guy for every single dance?

As the guy leaned down to whisper something into Sonny's ear, I couldn't take it any longer. I climbed to my feet right in the middle of a question.

"Where do you think you're going?" the reporter asked in a gruff voice, waving his pen in the air. "You haven't answered all my questions yet!"

"Chad Dylan Cooper decides when the interview is over, not the interviewer," I said as my parting words.

I knew Sonny saw me as I walked toward her. I saw her eyes glance in my direction, but she turned up her nose, hitting her hip against the Kiss Cam boy. He hadn't noticed me yet, and he smiled down at her before returning the move. He was dead meat when I met up with them.

Putting my arm around Sonny, I stepped between her and him, holding her tightly to my side.

"Thanks for keeping my date busy while I was gone," I said in the sweetest voice I could muster, "But I can take it from here."

The boy instantly grew nervous, but Sonny pushed away my arm, stepping around me so she was at his side again.

"Thanks for the offer, Chad, but I'm having fun dancing with Hayden right now," she said, smiling at me. "Maybe we can dance later?"

She tried turning her back to me, but I grabbed her elbow, dragging her back to my side. She stumbled as I forced her to move, nearly tripping over her own heel. Once I was sure she was in my grasp and wasn't going to get away, I turned to Hayden again.

"As I said, thanks for keeping Sonny busy," I told him before glaring down the brunette under my arm. "Say goodnight to your little friend, honey."

If looks could kill…

"I think this is my cue to leave," Hayden said, putting his hand in the air as a final farewell. "I'll catch you later, Sonny."

Knowing a yelling fight was about to start, I drug Sonny along behind me out of the room, through the main entrance, across the street, and didn't let go of her until she was in the passenger seat of the car. Her mouth was open before I had a chance to say a word.

"Who do you think you are, bursting in there and telling me who I can and can't hang out with?" I was glad we weren't still in the building; she was shrieking at the top of her lungs. "There's no reason I couldn't have kept dancing with Hayden!"

"You kissed him!"

"Only because of the Kiss Cam! Besides, that was a long time ago. You're not honestly telling me you're still jealous of him, are you?"

"I'm not now, nor have I ever been, jealous of Ayden," I told her, deliberately messing up his name. "I just don't think you should be dancing with someone who everyone knows you've kissed. It's not good for your reputation."

"What did you expect me to do, sit around and wait for you all night? I am not your girlfriend, Chad, and I had every right to dance with whoever I wanted to in there! If things keep going like this, nothing is ever going to happen between us. I can't date someone who gets jealous with every guy I talk to."

"I don't get jealous after every guy you talk to, I just-,"

I stopped when Sonny folded her arms over her chest and stared off to the side, refusing to look at me. Sitting in the car and yelling at her wasn't doing any good. What I needed to do was calm down and apologize, even though it wasn't really my fault. If she wouldn't have danced with that Kiss Cam guy in the first place, the fight never would've happened. She needed to hear the words all girls needed, and that was what I was going to tell her.

"Look, I'm sorry for leaving you alone tonight," I started off, hoping enough anger was out of my voice that I could sound truthful. "I shouldn't have done that; it wasn't right. I'm also sorry for yelling at you. You're right; you were free to dance with whoever you wanted to. I had no right to yell at you."

"Thank you."

She still had her arms folded and sat so she wasn't looking at me. When I kept my gaze on her, she finally sighed, turning her attention to my face.

"I'm sorry, too," she gave in. "I'm sorry for over-reacting when you left me alone and for using Hayden to make you jealous."

"Thank you," I copied her, then, after her words sank in: "Wait. You were trying to make me jealous tonight?"

It was dark out, but there were enough lights shining from the Hotel that I could easily make out the redness that overtook her face.

"Well…So what if I was? Are you going to try to convince me it didn't work?"

"I wasn't jealous of Kayden."

"Really, Chad? Really?" Her eyes narrowed. "Then why did you force me away from him, call me 'honey', and drag me out here?"

"I thought you could use a break from the dancing," I lied fluidly, the excuse already forming in my head as she'd asked the question. "Are you ready to go back in now? Your face doesn't look quite as flushed."

"I'm not going back in there after all that," she protested. "Why don't you just take me home?"

"But it's only nine o'clock, we could still-,"

"Please take me home, Chad. I'm tired and I want to get some sleep, alright?"

Sighing, I put my keys in and started the engine, leaving the Plaza Hotel behind us as I drove in the opposite direction. Unlike the ride over, Sonny stayed quiet this time. She was still mad at me, even after the apology, and I had only one more day to make it up to her.

Tomorrow, I decided as we drove in silence, was going to be my last try. It was all or nothing.


	7. Falling Through Friday

Are you guys getting sick of me updating yet? Well, get used to it. I still have a few chapters of COW left then all of BULL.

For people who haven't read this story before, you're going to love this chapter. I think...I hope so anyway. I know it was a lot of fun to write!

Have any of you ever met your prince in shining armor complete with a white horse?

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, except for this computer. It's a pretty epic computer. Actually, it isn't, but it serves its purpose.

* * *

Falling Through Friday

"Ok, this might sound really stupid, but can I ask a question?"

It was a little after eight the next morning and Chad was late for the second time this week. I could've started warming up the cast for him like I'd done last time, but I was too busy pacing Portlyn's dressing room. She'd noticed when Chad and I left the party early last night and wanted to know why.

"If you heard that reporter threatening to ruin Chad's life, why did you get mad when he left to do the interview?" she went on when I didn't answer her first question. "You're old enough to understand that sometimes, things happen we can't control. Chad even told you he didn't want to leave."

"I know!" I whined as I let my pacing feet stop, slumping into the only chair in the room. "I knew that last night, too, but I still got mad! I think it was more so because he'd just asked me to dance and then left me out there in the middle of the floor like some dateless idiot. But you know what? The reason doesn't even matter because he barely said a word to me all the way home and when I got out of the car, he muttered a goodnight without even looking at me! He hates me and now the whole plan is ruined!"

Yesterday, when Mackenzie explained to the still in love with him Macy that they could never be more than friends, I wasn't able to shed any real tears. Now, as I studied my reflection in the mirror the chair sat in front of, I could finally feel my eyes starting to water. Maybe I was born to play the part of Macy. We both had the same ending: becoming nothing but friends with the man we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with.

Well, for me, it wouldn't be the rest of my life in a romantic way. Chad and I would remain friends in my dream future, just like Mackenzie and Macy became by the end of the episode. Because unlike Macy, I wasn't in love with my man. Just because I looked forward to seeing him every day, felt over-joyed when he took the time to come over to my set (even if it was to annoy me), liked to tap him or lightly punch just to see if he would return it, couldn't stop shivering when he cupped my chin, nearly fainted after he kissed my forehead, had butterflies flying around my stomach at his touch, enjoyed the feeling of his fingers twined with mine, grew angry over something he had no control over…

Those weren't signs of love. They were signs of friendship, a bond deeper than I had with Nico and Grady or any other guy friend I had. Chad was my best guy friend and that was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Until today, anyway. My guess was he was late because he was trying to avoid seeing me. Maybe he wouldn't even come in today and would wait until tomorrow, the day Mackenzie Falls finally filmed. He'd come in then and act out the scenes, but they would be nothing compared to yesterday's practice. The Chad who was in love with me was gone, leaving behind one who may never talk to me again. If I'd only learned to control my emotions better. If I hadn't gotten mad at him last night and yelled at him, none of this would've happened.

Controlling my emotions was usually easy for me. I was an actress and despite what Chad said, I was good at it. I could paste a smile on when I was in the worst of moods and I could pretend to be sad when I was really grinning inside. Chad was the only one who I lost control with. I couldn't pretend to be something I wasn't when I was with him. He always got to see the real Sonny.

Why did the real Sonny have to be such a jerk sometimes?

When a knock sounded on the door, I felt my heart skip. Was it Chad? Maybe he'd finally decided to show up and had come to yell at me for being late. Even a yelling Chad was better than none at all. I smiled at Portlyn before skipping to the door.

"Oh, hey Josh," I sighed when I saw it was only the Condor Studios mail delivery boy. This time, I felt my heart sink. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," he replied before extending a red rose toward me. "I was told to give this to a certain Sonny Munroe."

Someone had bought me a rose? The only person I could remember ever doing that was James, and I knew after everything Tawni and I had put him through he wasn't the sender this time. Who did I know that would send me a rose now?

Portlyn rushed to my side once the flower was in my hands and the door was shut, grabbing part of the stem.

"Who's it from?" she asked as she started spinning it, looking for a note.

"I don't know, maybe it's-,"

Before I could finish my sentence, there was another knock on the door. Letting me have the flower back, Portlyn pulled it open this time. Josh was still standing there, this time holding two roses, one white and the other yellow.

"Let me guess," Portlyn said, stepping aside so I could come forward. "You were told to give those to Sonny, too?"

"You got it," Josh replied, handing over the roses.

The door barely had time to shut before it was being knocked on again. This time, I glared at Josh after opening it.

"Do you really need to knock every time or can you just give me all the flowers now?"

"I'm sorry, Sonny. I was told to give them to you in a certain order, that's all."

"Can't you give them to me in that order without me having to shut the door each time?"

He handed me three roses grouped together, this time pink, orange, and lavender. What, had someone decided to send me every color rose imaginable or something? Then, reaching down to the bottom half of his mail delivery cart, Josh pulled out 12 deep red roses, all wrapped in plastic and tied together with a ribbon.

"Nice to see you again, Sonny," he said before starting to walk away.

I was too busy standing there in shock, trying to hold all seventeen roses without dropping them, to pay attention to what Portlyn was doing. She squeezed past me into the hallway, running after Josh.

"Wait! Who told you to give all those flowers to Sonny?" she demanded once she caught up.

"I'm not supposed to say," Josh shrugged and Portlyn looked like she was going to strangle him. "Oh yeah, but I just remembered what else I was supposed to tell you! If you want to find the person behind the flowers, just follow the trail of pedals."

Sure enough, starting a few feet away from the door was a long line of red pedals, leading down the hall. Portlyn started following them and I joined her after setting down the roses.

A million questions were running through my mind as Portlyn and I sprinted through the halls, not caring about the strange looks people sent to our backs. Who had sent me seventeen roses in one day? Why didn't they leave a note instead of taking the time to set out a whole trail? Although the trail did seem romantic and was definitely getting my heart to beat faster, it wasn't necessary. A simple note from whoever it was would've been fine with me. Just getting the flowers and knowing someone liked me enough to send them would've been enough.

The pedals led to the set's exit, and Portlyn and I almost collided as we tried together to open the door. Once we were outside, we both stopped running, our mouths falling open at the same time.

In the place Chad used as his parking spot, there was no silver car. A white horse stood there instead, red roses shaped like a heart around its neck. There was only one person I knew who would be able to get a horse within one night because he knew where to rent anything, even little old ladies.

"Wow," Portlyn murmured, the first of us to be able to speak. "That's a lot better than what Chad did on my Friday. We just got together to watch a movie."

"It wasn't called Freaky Friday, was it?" I asked, unable to take my eyes away from the horse.

"Actually, it was."

We stopped talking when we heard the loud clanking of – what was making the loud clanking? It sounded almost like metal hitting against something…

Portlyn squealed loudly and then covered her mouth, her eyes opening as big as saucers. I followed the direction they were looking and felt my jaw starting to drop for a second time.

Someone was stepping out from the other side of the horse, although it was impossible to tell who it was. They were dressed from head to toe in armor, complete with a shield in one hand.

"I have traveled for many hours with no one but this horse to keep me company," their voice cried out, muffled by the helmet. "I request to take the fair maiden by the name of Sonny Munroe for a quick gallop around the castle, if it's alright with you, Lady Portlyn."

Her mouth was still covered and I knew she was trying not to laugh. I could feel my face reddening and hoped no one could see what was taking place in the parking lot. I'd never asked Chad to dress up like a knight and to be honest, he looked so out of place talking about castles and fair maidens that I was sure he would be getting made fun of if people saw him.

I shook my head to Portlyn, begging her to deny Chad's request. The last thing I wanted to do was ride a horse with him. I'd be much happier going back to the dressing room and finding a vase to put the roses in before they died, thanking Chad for his efforts when I saw him again.

Either Portlyn didn't see me shaking my head or she chose to ignore me. Finally moving her hands from her face, she held her Mackenzie Falls skirt on either side as she curtsied.

"You may take the maiden on as many rounds of the castle as you please," she said, her laughter clear in her voice. "Just have her back by tomorrow's sunrise. We have a television show to film."

Chad walked toward me, taking a lot longer than it usually took him since the armor was slowing him down. When he extended a gray hand to me, I took it, letting him lead me to the horse.

"Why are you doing all this?" I muttered as he took my waist (man, were his hands freezing!) and sat me on the horse's back. "The roses, the horse, the armor…You know I don't need any of it, right?"

"Isn't it obvious why I'm dressed up like this?" he replied as he went to the horses' head, taking the lead line and starting to force it forward. "I want to be your knight in shining armor!"

He led the horse around the studio, and every time there was a window, there was a larger group of people there to watch us. I tried not to pay them attention, but when I saw the other four members of my cast laughing their heads off, I knew I was blushing enough to equal the heat of the sun.

As embarrassing as the whole scene was, it was cute and romantic as well. My eyes kept drifting down to Chad, who had finally taken off his helmet. Every once in awhile he'd look at me and smile and I returned the gesture without trying to. No one had ever done anything so nice for me before.

Who would've thought Chad Dylan Cooper knew how to be a gentleman?

* * *

It was too hard to join Sonny on the back of the horse with my armor on, but thankfully the place I'd rented everything from was only a short distance down the street. I led the horse there, refusing to let Sonny walk beside me when she begged to get down. What kind of knight let his princess do all the walking?

My car was at the building already since I'd walked the horse over to Condor Studios too, and that was where Sonny waited for me as I went into the bathroom to get rid of the armor. When I joined her, she was leaning on the hood of the car, something I was ready to yell at her for when she sprang up to her full height, ran toward me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed my cheek.

"What was that for?" I asked, my anger forgotten as my face began to heat up.

"I don't know," she answered thoughtfully. "It just felt like the right time."

We went back to the studio after that so a few scenes could be shot and everything wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow. Knowing the scenes with Macy would be much better if Sonny and I were really dating when we filmed them (I could get into character even more than I did during yesterday's rehearsal), I made sure to skip over all of Sonny's parts. If she noticed she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she watched everyone else, keeping her mouth shut for once. I think it was the first time she'd sat in on a take without interrupting it.

It was finally quitting time and I rushed to Sonny's side before she could disappear into her dressing room.

"I would offer you a ride home tonight, but I have to get home myself," I explained, going on before she could say a word. "It's my mom's birthday and dad wants to treat her to a fancy family dinner."

"In other words, we can't hang out tonight?"

There was disappointment in her voice she tried to hide behind an understanding smile, but I saw it. Earlier in the week, she would've loved having me unavailable to hang out. Disappointed was a major improvement.

"I didn't say that, did I?" I asked, and I could see the change in her features as she smiled. "Would you like to go out for dinner with us?"

"I don't know…Is Bryson going to be there?"

"You have nothing to worry about," I assured her quickly, giving her shoulders a squeeze as I put my arm around them. "He's already gone back to school. So, what do you say? Do you want to come with me?"

We'd reached Portlyn's dressing room by this point which meant she had to give me an answer. I hoped she would say yes. It was my night to try asking her out again, and I had the perfect way to go about it. My plan would never work if she didn't agree to go to dinner.

"Please, Sonny?" I begged, trying to make my eyes as sad as I could make them. "Kimberly was already getting excited about seeing you again. You'll break her heart if you don't go."

"Why do I have a feeling that's not the only heart I'll be breaking?" I wasn't sure if I heard that line correctly or not since Sonny kept her eyes on the floor, but she didn't give me a chance to ask. "Alright, Chad. I'll go. I would be happy to attend your mom's birthday dinner."

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven." She was already pushing open the door when I stopped my walk down the hall, turning to face her again. "Oh, and Sonny? Make sure you dress up. This is going to be one of those really fancy restaurants."

I heard her groan from the spot I was standing and couldn't help from laughing as I left her alone.

* * *

Somehow Tawni found out about the restaurant (maybe Portlyn had overheard Chad ask me?) and showed up at my apartment unannounced. I'd been sitting on the couch, trying to get in a short nap before getting ready, but she drug me to my room, shutting the door behind us.

"You're lucky you have me for last minute plans," she informed me before handing over a bag full of things she felt I needed. "Let's see, I have your dress, your shoes, hair supplies, and make-up. That should be everything, right?"

"Tawni, I really don't think I need another make-over-,"

"Aww," she cut me off, frowning as she emptied the contents of the bag onto my bed. "I forgot to bring a matching purse! Oh well, you'll just have to make do. Why are you just standing there? You need to get on the dress so I can get to work on your hair!"

It was useless telling her I didn't need her help, that I had plenty of dresses I could wear and my own make-up and could wear my hair down. She wasn't going to leave until I was up to her standard, which would happen a lot quicker if I did as she told me. Grabbing the dress, I headed to the bathroom.

I didn't find the dress very restaurant friendly (knee-length with a v-neck and very thin straps, although I did like the silky material it was made from), but when I returned to model it in front of Tawni, she couldn't stop going on and on about how great it looked on me. Forcing me to the floor, she sat on my bed behind me as she set to work on my hair.

"So, I couldn't help but notice your pictures," she said as she worked. I froze; I'd forgotten about all the Chad pictures on my wall. "There sure are a lot of pictures of Chad up there."

I needed an excuse. Something, anything, to convince Tawni the pictures weren't because of some secret crush. That had to be what she was thinking as she continued pulling the straightener through my hair (was it just me, or was she pulling harder now?).

"About those," I said, laughing nervously. My voice was in the high pitch I always seemed to use when lying. "I only put those pictures up to help remind me of this week's goal. I thought having to look at him every day would remind me how much of a jerk he is."

"You know you don't have to break up with him tomorrow if you don't want to," she told me, her voice stoic. "If you really do like him, you could say yes when he asks you out tonight and see where it goes from there."

"No way," I protested, almost shaking my head before remembering the hot machine Tawni had in her hands. "I promised you and Portlyn I would break his heart, just not for you guys, but for all the girls he's done it to before."

Tawni was silent as she let a hot strand of hot hair fall over my ear.

"Don't get me wrong, Sonny," she started off when she spoke again. "I would love to get revenge on that three named jerk-throb, but not at your expense. If you really do like him, I think you should give him a chance. You shouldn't give up on something like that just to help out a bunch of girls you don't even know."

"You have nothing to worry about, Tawni," I said firmly. "You'll have your revenge by tomorrow."

We didn't talk about Chad again as Tawni finished up with my hair and moved on to make-up. I was happy to be hanging out with her again after a week of being on a different set and she seemed happy to see me, too. I playfully smeared lipstick over her cheek, but before she could fight back, mom's voice interrupted us.

"Sonny," she called. "There's a very dashing young man out here who claims to be here for you!"

I turned to Tawni, returning her huge grin with a nervous one.

"It's just Chad," she reminded me. "You're going to do just fine."

"I wish I could be as confident as you."

"I know you do. That's one of the many burdens of being me; everyone wants to be as great as I am!"

I laughed before hugging her (for the first time, she didn't protest) and then I opened my bedroom door. It was time to face the music and get the night over with.

Both Chad and mom were surprised by my appearance ("When did I buy you that dress?" from mom, "Wow!" from Chad). He was wearing a tie which told me maybe Tawni was right picking out a fancier dress. Mom still was in shock as she told me to be home no later than eleven. Chad agreed he would let her know if he wouldn't have me home by then, held out his arm and after making sure I was holding on, he led me to the parking lot.

His silver car wasn't there, but a bigger vehicle was (I was horrible with car names). He held open the back door for me before climbing in beside me. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, along with Kimberly, were sitting in the three-seater front seat.

"Sonny!" the youngest Cooper exclaimed.

"What did I tell you about embarrassing her?" Chad scolded.

"Embarrassing me?" I protested, giving Kimberly my best smile. "I don't see how that could happen. You're sitting by me during dinner, right?"

The 'I-told-you-so' look she sent in Chad's direction was enough to make me laugh, but thankfully I covered my mouth in time. Mrs. Cooper picked then to look at me over her shoulder.

"I'm happy you could make it tonight, dear," she told me with a warm smile. "You look very nice."

"Thank you," I replied before Chad cleared his throat. "Oh, I almost forgot! I hope you're having a happy birthday so far!"

Was I really nervous enough to forget something as important as wishing her a happy birthday? Why was I nervous at all? It was just Chad and his family. There was nothing at all to be worried about.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself on the way to the restaurant. I was right for awhile; nothing bad happened during dinner. Kimberly sat beside me with Mr. and Mrs. Cooper across from us and Chad on my other side at the head of the table. It was one of those quiet places where each table had at least two candles and wineglasses already set out. The menu was full of huge words I had no idea how to say and even less of an idea what it meant in English. Thankfully, Chad was used to eating at places like this and whispered to me what the foods really were.

While we waited for the meals to come, I didn't get a break from talking to Kimberly. She wanted to know all about what it was like to be on So Random! and detailed descriptions of what each of my cast mates were like in real life. I didn't mind answering all her questions. I was willing to do anything to avoid talking to Chad.

I knew his question would be coming out sometime during the night and all I could do was hope he'd take me away from his family when he did it. Telling him yes, I would be happy to go out with him while his parents were watching and then breaking his heart tomorrow…Well, it didn't sound like the greatest plan to me.

The food arrived, Kimberly was told to stop talking with her mouth full, and instead of answering to her, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper asked me questions. They didn't ask about So Random! They were more interested in my life before I moved to Hollywood (all they knew about the world of poor people was what they'd seen in movies) and which place I liked better, Wisconsin or Hollywood.

When I felt like I couldn't say another word even if I wanted to, the questions finally stopped. There was a dance floor over by the bar, and when the first song of the night started to play, Mr. Cooper stole his wife away. That was when Chad climbed to his feet, pushing in his chair.

"Kimberly, I want you to either join mom and dad on the dance floor or wait for them right here," he ordered his sister.

"Can't I come with you guys?" she begged as Chad helped me to my feet. "Please let me come just this once, Chad! Please, please, please!"

"Not tonight," Chad told her firmly. "Stop acting like a baby before someone realizes you're a Cooper."

"I'm not acting like a baby!"

"Well, you're not acting very mature!"

"You're the one who taught me how to act!"

"Those lessons were to teach you how to act like me, not like a baby!"

"What's the difference?"

I stepped between the two of them as Chad stalked closer to his sister. Although it was nice to know I wasn't the only one he fought with, a restaurant wasn't the best place to figure it out.

"I had a great time with you tonight, Kimberly," I said, letting my hand rest on Chad's chest in case he tried to get around me to his sister. "We should hang out again really soon, alright?"

She still looked disappointed and I almost told her she could tag along with Chad and me. I was going to be a horrible mother someday. All anyone had to do was look sad and I was ready to hand over the world to them. To keep myself from giving permission, I turned to Chad, needing my back to face Kimberly so she couldn't make me feel guilty.

"Wait!" I felt a tug on my hand as I started to walk away. Kimberly was standing on her chair, reaching up as she tried to hug me. I leaned down, wrapping my arms around her tiny waist. Before letting me go, I felt her lips at my ear. "Don't turn my brother down tonight, Sonny. He's a really great guy after you get to know him and he really likes you."

I could feel my eyes widen in surprise at her words. How did she know Chad was asking me out tonight? He wasn't really using his little sister to convince me to say yes, was he?

Before I could say a word, Kimberly let go of me and jumped from her chair. Walking to my side, she took my hand, pulling me over to where Chad was waiting. Without any prompting from either of us, she put our hands together and smiled like she was some sort of genius.

"Have fun tonight!" she exclaimed, giggling as she ran toward the dance floor.

I glared at Chad, but he shrugged his shoulders. Using our linked hands, he pulled me out of the restaurant and into the dark night.

"I would've worn different shoes if I'd known we'd be walking," I stated after a short silence, and both of us looked down at the black heels Tawni had picked out for me. "How far are we walking, exactly?"

"Don't worry, we're not going very far," Chad answered. "We're going to a grassy place, so you should be fine taking your shoes off once we get there. My parents are picking us up later so it's not like I'm making you walk home."

"A grassy place?" I could hear the horror in my voice. "We're not going on another hike, are we?"

Chad laughed as he put an arm around my waist, having to let go of my hand to do it. I started shivering (the breeze was chilly in my dress) and leaned in closer to him, trying to steal his heat.

"No, we're not going on another hike," he replied, pushing me away long enough to take off his jacket, slipping it over my shoulders before pulling me back to his side. "Actually, all we're going to do is sit down, relax, and watch fireworks."

"Fireworks?" I repeated in surprise. "But…What about the question you're going to ask me?"

"What question?"

"The question you made your little sister tell me to say yes to."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Sonny."

He knew exactly what I was talking about. I could tell because he refused to look at me, keeping his eyes straight ahead. What did I care? If he didn't want to ask me out, he didn't have to. It sure would make my job a lot easier tomorrow if he didn't do it. I wouldn't have to break up with him if we never went out in the first place.

His 'grassy place' ended up being a hill in the middle of nowhere. My feet were sore by the time we reached it, but as I took off my shoes, he charged up the hill, shouting back to me that I had no chance of catching him. If this week proved nothing else, at least I could admit I loved a good challenge.

The hill wasn't very high, but it was tall enough to hide the trees beneath it from blocking the sky. Chad easily beat me to the top with his head-start and longer legs, but he must've ducked down or something because when I finally joined him, he popped out of nowhere. I nearly fell in surprise, he started laughing, and before I knew what was going on, I was on the ground at his side.

Something changed in that moment. As I sat there beside Chad and the two of us stared at each other, I could see the moonlight reflecting off half his face. For the first time, I saw him as something other than the boy who I'd known since coming to Hollywood. During that second, I realized he was Chad Dylan Cooper, the boy who'd fought all week long to win my heart. He'd matured since the first day we'd met and it took me until now to realize it.

I barely heard the loud pop as the first firework exploded in the sky; the only reason I noticed was because I could see the red light shining in Chad's eyes. He turned his attention from me to the sky.

"You might want to watch this," he told me when I didn't turn my gaze.

"I've seen fireworks before."

"You haven't seen them like this."

Sighing, I turned my attention to the sky. I didn't want to watch the fireworks, but for some reason Chad wanted me to and that was enough to make me do it. As the colors took off before my eyes, I could only think about one thing:

What if Chad wasn't kidding about having a crush on me? Portlyn already suspected I was falling for him and Tawni told me to go for it if I needed to. Was it worth it? Were the feelings I was trying to deny as friendship something more than that? Somehow, had Chad really made me fall for him during the course of his seven days? Was I becoming just as hopeless as all his other C.O.W.s?

Five or six fireworks started going off at once and I knew the grand finale was coming. I couldn't wait for the show to be finished so I could concentrate on Chad again. More than anything else, I wanted a chance to figure out my feelings. I wanted to know if this was real or if I was just thinking I was falling. Maybe after all the talk about it, about him making me fall for him, he had convinced me I was feeling something I really wasn't. Maybe-

"This is my favorite part," Chad whispered in my ear, cutting through my thoughts.

The smoke from the last fireworks cleared and a last one shot into the sky. Chad took my hand, squeezing it tightly, but he kept his eyes ahead as the color exploded. I had no idea what was wrong with him until I saw the letters starting to form in green lights:

_Will you go out with me?_

Finally, he turned his face back to look at mine, only this time, I was the one who couldn't look away from the sky. Even as the letters started to fade, I sat there in shock. He'd asked me out with fireworks. It was the most romantic thing I'd ever heard of, more romantic than coming over to my house or taking me ice skating or hiking to a waterfall or going to a Hollywood party or even riding around on a white horse.

I knew what I wanted to say as I turned to Chad, but I couldn't find the words to say it no matter how many times I opened and shut my mouth. He sat there patiently, waiting for my answer. Figuring six days was long enough to make him wait, I leaned over and answered the only way I could force my lips to move.

Right there on the top of the hill, with the moon shining and the smoke from the fireworks taking over the sky, I kissed Chad. I don't know how much time passed before there was beeping from the street and his parents were there to pick us up, and to be honest, I didn't really care.

The kiss told me the truth I needed to know: I was in love with Chad Dylan Cooper.


	8. Smack Down Saturday

Hey, guys! Sorry for the slow update! Believe it or not, but editing does make the uploading process a little bit slow. Plus, I don't sit at my computer all day long every day.

But, I should be able to catch up a little bit now. :D

Two chapters left after this one (in case you were wondering)

Review and let me know what you think?

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Still.

* * *

Smack Down Saturday

Everyone seemed to know about Sonny and me before we arrived at Condor Studios the next morning (I knew it was because I updated my vlog, but when Sonny asked me how everyone found out, I pretended I had no idea. I wasn't sure if she'd be mad I'd updated the world or not and I didn't want to start off our relationship with a fight). Truthfully, I was so happy, I didn't care if the world knew about me and Sonny or not. As long as she was with me, my day was great.

It was hard to get my cast members to get down to business. They were having too much fun clapping my shoulder, congratulating me on my new girlfriend. Sonny, on the other hand, was bombarded in hugs and questions about how I'd asked her out.

"Guys, we still have filming to do," I tried telling them. "We need to get to work if we want our next episode to be done in time!"

It was silent for about ten seconds while everyone turned their attention to me.

"So, did he give you a ring to symbolize your love?" Penelope broke the silence.

The questions started all over again as my cast formed a circle around Sonny, their voices blending together just like reporters did when they wanted information for all their annoying interviews. For her part, Sonny looked overjoyed about everyone's interest. She smiled at me over her shoulder and her lips silently formed a question:

'Please don't make everyone work yet,' she begged. 'Just a few more minutes.'

Slowly, I nodded my head, granting her request. I never let my cast take it easy. When it was time to work, it was time to work. On the other hand, Sonny was my girlfriend.

My girlfriend. My girl. My Sonny. All terms I would never get sick of. Anything she wanted, as long as it was within reason, was hers. She already had my heart…Why shouldn't I give her everything else as well?

Just being able to watch the smile on Sonny's face as she answered questions (did she say something about a $100,000 diamond?) was enough to convince me I did the right thing giving her more time. She was having fun, and knowing that was enough to make me smile as I watched the scene.

So far, today was turning out to be the best day of my life. It was only going to get better once I could get everyone to start filming. All my scenes with Macy would be done today and now, with Sonny as my real girlfriend, I could get into my character better than ever before. If she knew how much I wanted to take her hand, to hold her in my arms, to kiss her like there was no tomorrow…If she knew the truth behind my feelings for her, she'd think I was crazy.

When Chad Dylan Cooper feels something, he feels it all the way. Halfway doesn't exist.

My day was being wasted. There was Sonny, finally within my grasp, and my cast was talking to her more than I was. Unable to wait any longer, I pushed my way through the circle still surrounding Sonny, placing my arm around her shoulders.

"That's enough stalling time, everyone," I ordered, holding up my hand to silence them when five voices protested at once. "Look, I know you all want to know the details about last night, but it was a personal moment between Sonny and me. So, if you would all please start warming-up, it would be really nice if we could get to work."

Since all of them knew better than to fight with me, the crowd dispersed, each cast member taking off to start their warm-ups. When Sonny began to follow them, I grabbed her hand, spinning her around as I pulled her back to my side.

"Where do you think you're going?" I demanded.

"You just told me to go warm-up," she replied, looking confused. "I was just doing what you said to do."

"You've advanced into a special kind of warm-up, Munroe."

Her confused face turned into a smile as she looked up at me.

"Ohh." She sidled closer to me, pressing against my chest. "What warm-ups are included in my advanced ones?"

"I'll show you."

Just as I was dipping Sonny (yes, dipping her, like what most men did when they were dancing and held onto their partner's back as they held her upside down) and was leaning down so I could kiss her-

"Sonny, I need your help with my uniform! Chloe just ripped off my sleeve!"

The moment ruined, I had no choice but to let Sonny go. She kept hold of my hand as she walked away until the last second and she was as far as my arm would stretch. She wanted to be with me just as much as I wanted to be with her. We'd get our alone time; I'd make sure of that. Even if it meant sending every other member of the cast home early, Sonny and I would get time to ourselves.

Sonny fixed the clothing problem, I led warm-ups, and finally, it was time to film. It was easy to play Mackenzie today, easier than it had ever been for me (which is saying a lot since after so many weeks of playing him, I feel like he's part of me). He was lovesick, totally gaga over Macy, and even though he had to tell her in the last scene that they could never be anything more than friends, they were acting like a couple during the rest of the episode. I got to rush forward and pick Sonny up to spin her around in circles (the scene where we saw each other for the first time in years), she collapsed into my arms (Portlyn admitted to splitting the two of us up when we were younger 'for our own good'), and then, of course, came the kissing scene.

There was something different in Sonny's attitude while we did the scene Mackenzie told Macy it wouldn't work than how she'd acted while practicing it before. She'd been more nervous then, avoiding my eyes as we acted. Today, she wouldn't look away. Despite the fact she was on a comedy show, she easily could've made it on Mackenzie Falls. I was starting to believe her lines and I knew they were fake. Her tears looked almost real when she turned her back to me and burst into her crying fit, and when I turned her around so she was facing me again-

"'What do you want now?"' she wailed, her lips trembling. "'Haven't you hurt me enough for one day?"'

"'I'm not trying to hurt you,"' I replied, saying my lines perfectly (when were they said any other way?). "'You know how I feel about you, Macy. Please…Let me have one last kiss before we say goodbye."'

The next line in the script wasn't a line at all, but instead an action that stated 'Mackenzie and Macy share a short and sweet kiss'. No one could interrupt us this time. The rest of the cast was standing off to the side, watching as they'd done last time, and the director wasn't going to shout cut. I couldn't wait until I got to kiss her again. Last night had been the most wonderful experience of my life, something I never wanted to live without again, even for a day. Nothing was going to stop me as I let my eyes shut-

Was that water I felt dripping on my face?

A loud alarm began sounding throughout the room. Everyone started screaming as more water sprinkled from the ceiling. I wasn't sure since I'd never heard it before, but it sounded to me like a fire alarm was going off.

"Don't panic!" the director called out, which of course made everyone start running around in circles. "I'm sure it's just a fake alarm. There's not a real fire in the studio! Still, if you would all make your way to the nearest exit…."

The cast, director, cameramen, and make-up artists took off running, screaming as they went. Sonny and I stayed where we were, both of us looking up. One of the sprinklers was right over our heads and the water flowing over us was soaking through both of our outfits, sticking the uniforms to our skin.

"Really?" I asked, still looking skyward. "What does the world have against us having even one romantic moment today?"

Sonny giggled in an extremely girly fashion. I turned my attention back to her, but she was standing a few feet from me, spinning around with her chin tilted all the way up, droplets of water bouncing off her face. Her outfit was wet, her hair was too flat to even move with her spins, but despite any of that, she was smiling wider than I'd seen her do all morning.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, wondering if she'd gone crazy. "Shouldn't we be heading outside like everyone else?"

"Maybe we should be running," she answered, her voice serious, "But I like dancing in the rain better!"

I stood there, trying to force my matted hair from my eyes, letting her words sink in so maybe they would make sense.

"Rain?" I finally repeated her. "You do know it's not really raining, don't you?"

She stopped twirling long enough to glare at me.

"You're an actor, Chad," she stated the obvious. "Have a little imagination, won't you?"

I was an actor, not a script writer. It wasn't my job to think of ways to make rain look real, but if it was up to me, I wouldn't have used the sprinklers. It didn't look like rain at all to my eyes.

Still, watching Sonny as she spun around and around, laughing her head off like she was a child experiencing water for the first time…There was only one thing I would've added to a scene like that.

Sonny didn't complain when I joined her, coming up from behind and putting my hands on her waist. She leaned into me, letting me hold the weight of her body as we continued to spin and spin and spin. Unfortunately, my shoes didn't have the greatest grip in the first place, and with a wet floor beneath them, there wasn't much to do when I started to fall. Sonny shrieked as we started falling, holding onto me all the tighter as we traveled toward the floor.

We landed together in a huge puddle of water, me landing on my back, Sonny stopping her body just in time from slamming into mine. She stayed where she was, one hand on either side of me, her wet hair dripping into my eyes.

"Can't you keep your hair under control, Munroe?" I teased her, trying to make my voice sound angry as I reached up, brushing one of the strands behind her ear.

"Shh," she told me, her smile never looking more beautiful, even though there was make-up running down both her cheeks. "The time for talking is over."

She leaned down, easily closing the gap between us. Somehow, this kiss was even better than last night. I couldn't explain what the difference was (every kiss with Sonny was perfect), but there was something about this one that made me speak up the second she pulled away.

"We need to talk."

I didn't understand the look of horror that crossed her features.

* * *

Tawni was more than a little surprised when I burst into our dressing room, dripping water all over the floor.

"What did they do to you?" she exclaimed, her mouth hanging open. "Did everyone at the Falls forget you're supposed to take your clothes off when you take a shower?"

"Actually, a fire alarm went off," I explained before rushing to her side, clutching her arm with both my hands. "Tawni…I need your help."

She smiled at me as she patted my head, sitting up straighter in her chair. I'd forgotten how much she enjoyed being asked for help. Hmm, maybe I should've gone to Portlyn instead.

"If you need my help with your hair, I have one suggestion," she said in her chipper voice. "Don't come to work with it wet again!"

I pushed her hand off the top of my head, rolling my eyes.

"I don't need help with my hair," I informed her. "I need your advice about Chad."

That was all it took to get Tawni to jump up and down in her seat, flipping her hair over her shoulder in excitement.

"In that case, I'm all ears."

I explained to her how last night had gone (going out to dinner, watching fireworks, how Chad had asked the question, and my response to it. I had to pause the story after saying that because she went into a very long laughing fit) and then told her everything had been going fine this morning until Chad muttered his last four words.

"So what?" Tawni asked once I was finished, looking confused. "He said you needed to talk. Don't you think you should've stayed and figured out what he wanted to talk about instead of saying you had to use the bathroom and coming here?"

"I already know what he wants to talk about." When Tawni gave me a blank stare, I went on. "He wants to break up with me."

She narrowed her eyes.

"How do you know that's what he wanted? Maybe he just wanted to talk to you. You are his girlfriend now. Most boyfriends do like to talk to their boo's every once in awhile."

"He said 'we need to talk'," I went on, lowering my voice to do my best imitation of Chad. "That's the line everyone says right before breaking up with someone! Besides, look at the facts: Today is Saturday, his usual break-up day. He's going through with his weekly pattern!"

Tawni let out a loud sigh. How could she stay so calm? Here I was, spilling all my problems out to her, and all she could do was sigh? Didn't she understand what I was telling her? Chad was going to break up with me. He'd spent all week working for my heart and now he was going back on his acts, pulling the rug out from under my feet, clipping the wings I was trying to fly with. Just like that, he was ready to say goodbye, just like he'd done every weekend for the majority of his life.

It wasn't supposed to end this way. I was the one who was supposed to break his heart, not the other way around. Tawni and Portlyn had picked me for this plan because they knew I was strong enough, the only girl in the world who was strong enough, to not give in to Chad's charm. They had counted on me being able to turn him down like I'd been doing since arriving at Condor Studios.

I didn't think it would be a problem. Hating Chad was easy for me. All I had to do was remind myself how much of a jerk-throb he was and hang out with the rest of my cast. Hearing what they said about him and laughing along with them was enough to keep me from falling for Chad Dylan Cooper.

But I didn't get to hang out with my cast this week. I was alone with Chad with no one around to remind me how horrible he was. Not only that, but he did everything he could to convince me he wasn't a jerk-throb. No matter how hard I tried not to listen, the harder I tried, the easier it was to give in. Playing the role of a love-struck Sonny wasn't a good role for me; she'd taken over my life.

Just like all the girls before me, I'd fallen for Chad.

I'd known since the beginning of the week that even if I did somehow end up falling for Chad, it wouldn't work out. I knew he would break up with me when Saturday came around. Maybe I thought something had changed last night. The way he kissed me, the feeling that shot through my body at the touch, the way he'd looked at me since then…

Apparently I was reading too much into it. The way Chad reacted was all part of his game. He was trying to make me think he was really in love me when he wasn't. He'd gotten what he wanted out of me; he'd won my heart before his week was over. He had reached his goal.

And now he was through with me.

"I'm still not sure that's what Chad meant when he said he needed to talk," Tawni said, bringing my thoughts from Chad and back to her, "But if you're right, then you have to break up with him first. After all, if he does break up with you, then he'll just play this game again next week and the week after that and the week after that. He won't learn anything."

"What are you saying?" I asked, drawing my words out, deep down knowing exactly what she meant. "You think I should break up with him?"

"Only you can decide what to do, Sonny. If he's going to break up with you, then you know what you need to do."

She was right. If I acted now, I could still win the game. I could beat Chad to the punch line and break up with him before he could say those dreaded words to me. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the door, ready to go talk to my boyfriend.

I was back at Tawni's side within seconds.

"I can't do it," I complained. "I can't just walk over there, look him in that sparkly blue eye, and tell him it's over! Help me, Tawni. Please help me."

She held her palm out flat, giving me one simple order.

"Give me your cell phone."

I wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do, but I handed over my cow spotted phone, watching anxiously as Tawni started hitting buttons. When she brought it to her ear, she smiled at me and held up a finger, signaling she would be done in a minute. I felt like hugging her. She was going to fix everything! Whoever she was calling, whatever conversation she was about to have, would be the solution I needed.

"Aw, that's sweet, but this isn't your Sonshine," she said after a few silent moments. I could feel my mouth fall open as I realized who she had to be talking to. Why was she calling him? "This is Tawni, and I have a message for you from your girlfriend."

Ripping the phone from her hands, I was tempted to just hit the end button. I wasn't going to let Tawni break up with Chad for me. I was the one who agreed to pretend to fall in love with him, I was the one who said yes when he asked me out, and I would be the one to tell him we were over. It wasn't Tawni's fault I'd ruined everything by falling in love with him. There was no reason she had to do the dirty work.

Just as I was about to push the button that would end the conversation, Tawni finally climbed out of her chair, grabbing on to the part of the phone not covered by my hands.

"Either tell him you want to talk so you can figure out what he really wants to talk about," she ordered, "Or as soon as you hang up, I'm going to call him again and break up with him for you."

"Are those my only options?"

"You know what the third one is."

Chad's voice was still coming from the phone, calling my name out, sounding completely confused. I stared at Tawni, begging her to let me hang up, but she firmly kept a hand on my phone, the glower on her face not changing at all. Sighing, I pushed away her hand so I could put the phone to my ear.

"Hey," I said, knowing my voice sounded defeated. I wasn't looking forward to this conversation. It was going to hurt me a lot more than it would hurt him.

"Sonny!" His happy tone wasn't helping me at all. "Why are you calling me? I thought you were just going to the bathroom?"

My eyes closed and I breathed in deeply. It was now or never.

"Sonny?" Now he sounded concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"We need to see other people."

What words were you supposed to use when breaking up with someone? I'd never done it before so the first words to pop out of my mouth were what I was stuck with. I could feel my heart splitting in half, my breath caught in my throat, and my stomach felt like someone had punched me hard enough to knock out all my wind.

This was what it felt like to be in love? This was what a real broken heart felt like?

There was a silence from Chad's end of the phone. I was tempted to ask if he'd heard me, but I couldn't get my tongue to form another word. My mouth was dry as I waited for him to speak. When he did, it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

"What?"

"Don't make me say it again, Chad. Please, please, please don't make me say it again."

He fell silent again. His silence was the worse thing he could do to me. If he yelled at me, at least I would know I was getting what I deserved. If he calmly told me it was alright, I would know it was all just an act and he'd never really liked me to begin with. If he said something about me blowing his plan, then I would know I was right about what he wanted to talk to me about.

Anything, any little word at all, would've been better than the silence he gave me.

"Why?" Was it just me, or was his voice higher than usual? "Why are you dumping me after one day? Why did you even say yes last night?"

"Please…Don't make this harder than it already is."

Tears were springing to my eyes, but Tawni was watching me so I brushed them away, refusing to let them out. Chad wasn't being fair. He was blaming this all on me. Why did he care why I said yes to him? Because I broke up with him sooner than he was going to do it to me? Maybe he was going to wait until later tonight. Maybe he had some plans for us to do after work and was going to break up with me after he'd had his fun. Was he mad at me for beating him to the punch?

Whatever pain he was feeling, it was nothing compared to me. His only disappointment was not being able to say the words first; my heart was being split into two separate pieces.

Love shouldn't be allowed to happen. It should be against the law for someone to fall in love with someone else because chances are, that person isn't going to feel the same way. If they don't, they still might play along, just to mess with your emotions. Either way, love was going to end up leaving you crippled, like half of you was suddenly gone.

"I'm so sorry for making this hard on you, Sonny," Chad said, heavy sarcasm in his voice. "I've always been a pain to you, haven't I? I might as well finish my job."

"What? Chad, I never said-,"

"I'm hanging up now. Don't call me again."

Without saying another word, without waiting to hear my plea for him to stop, a dial-tone sounded in my ear.

It was over. I'd done my job and had broken up with Chad, just as I promised Tawni and Portlyn I would. I was doing the right thing. I was getting back at him for all the hearts he'd broken in the past, getting revenge for everyone it was already too late for.

If I was doing the right thing, why did I feel so rotten?

Slowly, I sank onto the couch, not caring about my wet clothes or how they might ruin the material. Tawni was still watching me and I shrugged at her, forcing out my best attempt at a laugh.

"I did it," I told her, my voice cracking. "He-He told me never to-to call him…"

The rest of my sentence was lost in a sob. I grabbed the pillow beside me, trying to cover my face with it, hoping maybe I could hide from Tawni. If she thought I was really crying over Chad Dylan Cooper…

Instead of laughing at me like I thought she would, Tawni joined me on the couch, gently wrapping her arms around me. She'd never been very good at comforting me, but this time, just having her arms was enough for me. I rested my head on her shoulder and let out the tears I'd been holding in.

Tawni held me through it all until my eyes were so red and puffy I thought they would never be able to cry again. Even then, I still felt like crying.

'Stupid heart,' I told myself. 'Why did you have to pick Chad? Out of all the stars out there, you had to pick him!'

My only answer was a thump that hurt my entire chest.

* * *

I tried to act like it didn't hurt me. As I changed into a new uniform, I chanted over and over again that I didn't need her anyway, that there were a million girls waiting to take her place. I'd be fine; she was the one losing out on the greatness of Chad Dylan Cooper.

It didn't make sense to me. Sonny wasn't someone who would lie for no reason at all. Why would she spend all week with me, acting like she starting to fall under my spell? Why did she say yes when I asked her out if she didn't really like me? I understood sometimes minds could change quickly, but less than five minutes ago, she'd been lying on the floor over me, giving me a kiss better than our first. No way did a mind change directions that quickly.

Sonny wasn't someone who would deliberately break someone's heart. And yet, here I was, trying my best not to punch a hole in the wall.

Yes, I did shed a few tears. I'd been waiting so long to have Sonny and when I finally had her, I was happy. No, I was more than happy; I was ecstatic. It hurt a lot when she told me we should see other people. We'd been seeing other people for too long. I wanted to see her and only her for the rest of my life. But I loved her enough to give her whatever she wanted. If that was me being gone, then I would gladly oblige.

There was still a kiss between Mackenzie and Macy that needed filmed, but it was going to be cut from the script. I was Chad Dylan Cooper; they would cut the scene if I wanted them to. I never wanted to see Sonny again (which would be hard considering we worked at the same studio) and bringing her back to the set would be considered seeing her.

Although I did have one last matter to take care of before I let her out of my life completely.

Portlyn was the only one there when I came out of my dressing room, closing the door behind me hard enough that the entire wall started shaking. Her eyes were wide as she started following me down the hall.

"Hey," she started, going on when I didn't answer her. "What's up with you?"

"None of your business," I retorted, quickening my pace.

She took the hint and stopped walking. I kept going, both my hands in fists at my sides. This would be my last visit to the So Random! set, my last time to see Sonny up close. From here on out, I would only see her across the lunch room.

To be honest, I didn't want to see her again anyway. Just this short little visit was going to be hard enough. Knowing she was mine, even for the short amount of time it had been true, was still enough to hurt when she pulled the plug. Every time I looked at her, I would only be able to think about what could've been.

What could've been didn't matter. I was going to live in the future, not the past. I wasn't going to let Sonny bring me down.

No matter what it took, she wasn't going to get the satisfaction of knowing how hurt I really was.

* * *

Tawni was called to the set (it was a filming day for So Random! as well as Mackenzie Falls). She didn't go at first, staring at me instead, asking silently if I would be alright. I told her to go ahead, assuring her I would be fine. After hesitating, she left, leaving me to let my tears out alone.

I was surprised when there was a knock on the door.

"Why am I knocking?" a voice laughed before the door pushed open. "I forgot Tawni gave me a key – Oh. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here."

Hayden was standing in the dressing room entrance, a key in one hand, the other still on the doorknob. The last thing I wanted was company, but as long as he was there, I didn't want him to see what shape I was in. Rushing to my feet, I ran to the other side of the room (why did Tawni have to rearrange everything during my absent week?) looking for Kleenex or anything I could use to wipe off my face.

"Sonny?" Hayden sounded unsure as he called out my name, and I kept my back to him. "Is everything alright?"

I wanted to tell him that yes, everything was fine. I wanted to change the topic and ask what he was doing in the dressing room (were he and Tawni secretly seeing each other again?). But when I finally turned to face him, opening my mouth to speak, neither of those topics came out.

"Truthfully, no, everything isn't alright," I said, my voice coming out gruffer than I'd meant it to. "Chad and I just broke up."

"Broke up? Hmm, Tween Weekly never announced the two of you were a couple."

"He just asked me out last night."

He let out a low whistle as he walked further into the room, closing the door before he advanced. It wasn't long before he'd crossed the short distance to where I was standing. He stood there, his hands jammed into his pockets, looking too nervous.

"I'm sorry to hear about you and Chad," he finally spoke. "But there are other guys out there, guys who are a lot better for you than him."

I couldn't help but laugh at that one.

"I used to think any guy in the world was better for me than Chad," I explained when he gave me a questioning stare. "I just…I don't know. I thought I was in love with him, but I guess he never felt the same."

Hayden put his hand on my cheek, using his thumb to brush away a tear (was I really crying again?). He didn't move his hand when he was done, instead letting it rest in its place, adding warmth to my skin.

I didn't push his hand away, although I wasn't sure why. He had no reason to be touching me like that. I wasn't really thinking about his actions at that moment, excusing his touch as his way of comforting. I barely noticed when he stepped even closer to me, using his other hand to push my hair behind my ear.

"Just because Chad Dylan Cooper isn't in love with you doesn't mean someone else isn't," he said, his voice soft, his lips coming close to my ear.

Looking up at him, I let my red-rimmed eyes meet his.

"But he's the only one I'm in love with."

"You're a teenager," he argued. "Love changes."

"Hayden, I think you should back up-,"

He didn't let me finish my sentence. Before I could say another word, he took another step closer, lowering his face until his lips were on top of mine. I didn't have a chance to react or push him away or do anything other than let my eyes fly open in surprise before the door flew open again.

"I just came to let you know I need your Mackenzie Falls uniform back – wow."

Finally, I found the strength I needed to push Hayden away, but I was too late. Chad was in the doorway.

His eyes met mine and I wasn't sure how long we stood there, just staring at each other. All I knew was that I had to stop him as he turned his back on me, taking off down the hall at a brisk pace. If I didn't stop him now, I may never get the chance again.

* * *

"Chad!"

I heard her shouting my name, but I chose not to acknowledge her. Maybe if I kept walking, she would leave me alone. All I really needed was time away from her.

Unfortunately, she wasn't taking my silence as good enough. I heard her feet picking up their pace, and before I knew it, she was in front of me, her hands on my chest as she tried to keep me from walking. I tried to push her out of my way.

"Move it or lose it!" I ordered, but she kept her feet firmly planted where they were. "Don't you have a new boyfriend to go bother?"

"Hayden is not my boyfriend!" Her voice was firm enough that I wanted to believe her. The problem was, her having a boyfriend was the perfect solution for her breaking up with me. There wasn't another reason I could think of for all the lies. Hayden was the only answer that made sense. "I need you to listen to me. I had nothing to do with what you just saw, it was-,"

"Let me guess: it was the Kiss Cam."

I shook my head as Sonny stared up at me, looking aghast. I was the one who'd been dumb enough to fall for her trick and yet she was the one looking surprised? Why were her eyes red like she'd been crying? She still had Hayden; wasn't he good enough for her or did she think she needed a blonde jerk-throb on the side?

"It wasn't the Kiss Cam," she said, her voice soft. "I didn't kiss him though, he came into the room and we got talking-,"

Holding up my hands to silence her, I was able to step around her as she let her defenses down.

"Look, Sonny, it's really none of my business what you and Kayden, or any other guy for that matter, do," I said, facing her as I started walking down the hall backwards. "I could really care less who kissed who, alright? Just give your uniform to Portlyn after you have it washed."

Turning my back on her, I was ready to leave, trying my best not to turn around and look at her. I didn't need a last glance at her, one last memory to hold in my head forever and ever. I would rather delete her from my mind if I could.

What I really wanted to get rid of was the picture of her and Hayden kissing. It had been bad enough the first time I'd seen the picture sitting on my coffee table, but seeing it happen again only a little bit after she had been kissing me…

That was more hurtful than her breaking up with me.

"Chad." Her voice was so small I barely heard it, but I was so attuned to her, somehow it floated to my ears. "Please don't do this."

I stopped walking but didn't turn to face her again. Seeing her face right now, looking into those sad eyes…Well, I was a sucker for her. I would say something stupid, like she was forgiven, and she would think everything was fine. I'd have to watch her and Hayden together every day, being the happiest couple alive.

I was the greatest actor of our generation, but I wasn't good enough to pull off that act.

"Stay out of my life, Munroe. That's the last time I'm going to ask you."

She didn't call out again as I continued down the hall and I knew she was finally listening to me. I quickened my pace, wanting to have her out of my sight before I could give in to my desires and turn around. I couldn't see her again without falling in love.

The second I turned the corner, I leaned against the wall, covering my face with my hands. My legs losing feeling, I slid down to the floor, letting my head rest on my knees.

My shoulders shook as the sobs took over, but the pain of hitting my head against my knees over and over again was nothing to what my chest felt like. I finally understood what the famous quote meant:

Love really does hurt.


	9. Catchy Conclusions

EVERYONE GO TO THIS SITE AND REPORT THIS STORY! IT WAS STOLEN FROM ME! I AM THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR!

http : / www . wattpad . com / 432588 - sonny - with - a - chance - cow

(Without the spaces, of course)

Disclaimer: I didn't steal the characters from Disney Channel. Why did someone have to steal the story from me? :(

* * *

Catchy Conclusions

Sonny and Chad had absolutely no interaction throughout the next week. When she came over to the Falls with her uniform in hand, I was the one she handed it to even though Chad was only a few feet away, leading the cast in warm-ups. He didn't even turn to look at her, much less walk over to see what she wanted. Warm-ups went on as if there wasn't a visitor present.

"What happened between you guys?" I asked, taking the uniform from her. There was definitely something different about her from the girl I'd seen every day last week. For one thing, she wasn't smiling. "I take it one of you broke up with the other, but-,"

"This is working time, not social hour," Chad's voice cut through mine. "Portlyn, please get back to your spot before I call security to escort your friend out."

I turned to Sonny with a shocked look on my face, but she was rolling her eyes.

"He added my picture on the Do Not Admit Wall. The guard only let me through because I had a uniform with me," she explained. She sighed before turning around, getting ready to leave. "I should go before I get us both in trouble. It was nice talking to you one last time, Portlyn. I guess I'll see you around."

Chad must've known I was going to try talking to him because he made sure to always have someone around him. He knew I couldn't talk to him about Sonny when there were other people around since no one else knew about his crush on her (although they'd all asked me what happened between him and Sonny; they were too afraid to approach Chad with the question). I didn't catch him alone until lunch time when he made a break for his dressing room, sprinting down the hall as he tried to lose me.

"Cooper!" His feet finally stopped moving as he turned around to face me, a glower on his face. "Are you going to man up and tell me what's going on or are you just going to keep running from me for the rest of your life?"

"First of all, no one calls me 'Cooper'," he ordered, holding up one finger to help make his first point. His second one went up as he went on. "Secondly, no one tells Chad Dylan Cooper to grow up."

"Actually, someone does both of those things if Chad Dylan Cooper's being a brat!" His mouth fell open, but I went on before he could say anything. "What's going on between you and Sonny? Yesterday you came in here, acting like you were both the happiest people alive, and today, you won't even look in her direction! I know something happened, so don't even try lying and telling me everything's fine!"

He studied my face for several moments as I stood there, glaring up at him. I wanted to know what had happened, and if Sonny wasn't allowed on the set anymore to tell me whatever it was, then he was my only option. I wasn't leaving until he told me the truth.

Maybe he could see that I wasn't going to leave him alone, or maybe he just needed someone to talk to. Whatever his reason was, he sighed loudly, his glower fading into what I could only describe as a sad expression.

"She broke up with me."

At first, I wasn't sure if I'd heard him right. I wanted to ask him to repeat himself, but he was looking down at me with such an expression that I didn't want to put him through the pain of those words again.

Sonny had broken up with him. Just like she'd agreed to do over a week ago, she'd broken up with Chad after going out with him for less than a day. To be honest, I couldn't believe she'd gone through with the plan. I thought for sure after watching her and Chad together all week and seeing how happy they'd been yesterday (I'd had to call out her name so she wouldn't kiss him in front of everyone. She was supposed to be getting ready to break his heart, not falling for him)…Well, I thought she would chicken out and just stay with Chad.

I had to give her props. She seemed so nice and incapable of ever stringing someone along for a week and breaking up with them to get revenge. She'd tricked me into thinking she was really starting to fall; I could only imagine what Chad had thought.

"You're not even going to ask why she broke up with me?" Chad's voice interrupted my thoughts.

'Uh-oh,' I thought nervously. 'Did Sonny tell him about the plan? Did she tell him it was all my idea? Maybe I should've talked to her a little bit more before setting her free to do her job…'

"She left me for that Ayden kid."

"Wait…What?"

That wasn't the reason I was expecting her to use.

"You know, that guy she was hanging out with at the Hollywood party," Chad grumbled, the jealously clear on his face. "The guy she was caught with on the Kiss Cam. I saw the two of them kissing last night."

"What?"

Chad knew I was surprised, but he thought I was reacting for him, agreeing that it was unbelievable that Sonny would dare do something so horrible. Really I was surprised because that kid had nothing to do with the plan. Had Sonny been going out with him through the week as well? Was that why she'd wanted to dance with him at the party instead of the excuse she'd given me that she was trying to make Chad jealous?

Tawni had the answer to that question when I talked to her privately during lunch one day. It was too hard to sneak off my set and onto hers now that Sonny wasn't around to distract Chad, so leaving the lunch table early and catching Tawni as she headed down the hall was my only chance to talk to her. When I asked about Sonny and Hayden, she blanched.

"They have not and never will go out with each other," she informed me. "Hayden was just stopping by the room that night to pick me up after I was done filming. We were going on a double-date; he has a girlfriend."

"Why did Chad say he saw the two of them kissing then?" I asked.

"I haven't figured that part out yet," Tawni replied, glancing into the lunch room where we could see Sonny sitting with the other members of her cast, playing with her food, boredom evident on her face. "She won't talk to me about it. She won't talk to anyone about anything! I finally don't have to be afraid of her being a better actress than me because she just says all her lines in monotone, but I can't enjoy being on top again at all. She's so miserable that everyone else can't seem to be happy, either!"

Sonny wasn't the only one going through a new personality. Chad too became harsher this week, snapping if anyone tried talking to him. If one tiny mistake was made, he would blow up on that person, yelling at them for a good five minutes before storming off to his dressing room and slamming the door behind him. I could remember when he'd acted like that every day. It was before Sonny came along, back when the stress of acting got to him and he only had one way to get out his stress. Once Sonny arrived at Condor Studios, he would go bother her when his stress got too high, coming back to the Mackenzie Falls set with a smile on his face.

Now he refused to go to the So Random! set. The only time he and Sonny saw each other was during lunch. One time, she'd been in his way as he walked toward the Mackenzie Falls table, bumping into him hard enough to make his whole tray of food fall.

"Watch where you're going next time, Munroe!" he'd shouted.

Instead of answering him, Sonny bent down to start picking up the food. Chad had chuckled at her.

"I always knew you would turn into a maid someday," he'd said, smiling roughly. "I just never thought it would happen while you still had a job here. What, did So Random! lose so many viewers that you realized you needed a second job?"

I'd watched from my seat as Sonny gritted her teeth. Dropping everything she'd just picked up, she stood back to her full height, returning Chad's smile.

"If I remind you so much of a maid, I guess I'll let you pick up your own trash," she'd said, turning her back to him as she started to walk away.

Everything would've been fine and dandy after that if Chad wouldn't have muttered his next line just loud enough for her to hear:

"Sorry, but I don't pick up trash after it's been taken out to the curb and found its perfect match there."

Seeing the look on Sonny's face, I'd jumped to my feet after that, stepping between the two of them and pushing Chad toward the table. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Sonny with her hands balled into fists, taking a step forward as she thought about following us, but slowly her fists lowered and she went to join her own cast.

That was the only time they had talked all week (although there were plenty of glares from both of them and longing looks when they thought the other wasn't looking). The rest of the time outside of lunch was spent as Angry Chad and Depressed Sonny.

Knowing it was our fault the two of them weren't talking, Tawni and I knew we had to do something about it. As we stood in the hall, watching Sonny chase her food around and around on her plate and Chad staring at her sadly, the two of us turned to each other.

"Tonight?" Tawni asked.

"Tonight," I confirmed.

If anyone could get the two of them talking, it was the people who had torn them apart.

* * *

I was getting ready to leave my dressing room and head home for the night when Portlyn burst in, not even stopping long enough to knock first. She was breathless like she'd been running, and she closed the door behind her, resting her back against it as she tried to catch her breath. I stood there, staring at her like she was crazy.

"Aren't you a little bit old to be playing hide and seek?" I asked her.

"I'm not playing hide and seek," she explained. "I just wanted to make sure I made it here before you left."

"Well, I haven't left yet, and wow, look at that, you're here!" I patted her head like she was a dog who had just done a trick for the first time. "Great job! Now how about you tell me why you're here so I can leave?"

She put her body over the doorknob when I reached for it. When I glared at her, wondering why we couldn't discuss whatever she wanted to talk about as we walked to the parking lot, she glanced around the room. It was what she always did when trying to come up with an excuse.

"You can't go out there," she finally said. "There's tons of rodents, you know, bugs and mice and everything. They're…They're warning everyone to stay in their rooms."

"Yeah, like I would ever let any rodents on my set." I tried to push her away, but she refused to budge, keeping the doorknob from me. "Portlyn, I don't know what's wrong with you tonight, and quite frankly, I don't really care. I just want to leave and you are going to let me."

Her body stayed where it was, but she wasn't pressed right up against the door. There was a space between the item and her back, a space just large enough for me to get my arm in.

"You don't want to go in the hallway," she went on with her excuses, not noticing what I was doing as she continued to glance around the room. "There are flies, hundreds of them, and they-,"

"Why don't I just see for myself whatever it is you're trying to hide from me?"

As I pulled open the door, Portlyn nearly fell over, losing her balance since she had still been leaning against it. She caught herself as I stuck out my head, looking both ways as I tried to figure out exactly why she was distracting me. It didn't take long to figure it out.

Tawni and Sonny were standing a few feet away, arguing loudly. Tawni kept grabbing Sonny's arm as though she was trying to drag her toward my room, but Sonny kept getting away, saying something along the lines of, "He's not going to listen to me anyway!" I didn't even listen to what the blonde tried to tell her in return; Sonny was right.

I had no idea why Tawni was with her or why Portlyn was coming up with excuses (although my guess was the two Randoms were supposed to knock on my door and Portlyn was to make sure I stayed in my room until they were ready), but I knew exactly why Sonny was there. She wanted to talk to me, to try and tell me once again the kiss wasn't her fault.

What didn't she understand about 'stay out of my life'?

"Well, as much fun as this confrontation looks, I'm afraid I have to decline the invite," I said, gaining the attention of the two fighting girls who instantly grew quiet. "I have places to go and people to see who actually matter."

"I have a life to get back to, as well," Sonny retorted, making sure she spoke loud enough for me to hear her as I turned my back, heading off in the opposite direction. "A life that doesn't include conceited blonde jerk-throbs who think they're too good to listen to apologies!"

That was all it took to get me to face her again.

"I would listen to your apology if I thought it would make any difference!" I shouted, even though I was standing much closer to her than I had been at first and she, too, had take several steps forward. "There is nothing you can say or do that'll make up for what you did to me, Munroe!"

"What I did to you? What about what you did to me, Cooper?"

"And what, exactly, did I do to you? Did I spend all week making you think I was falling for you? Did I say yes to you when you finally asked me out after you had 48 hours to win me over? Did I break up with you for no reason and then let you catch me kissing someone else? I didn't do any of that, but if you want to see someone who did, take a look inside the mirror! What you see might shock you!"

We were standing face-to-face then (if she was taller, her face would've been even with mine, anyway, but you get the picture). She glared up at me and I returned the look. It felt good to stand there and yell at her. The anger I'd been holding in since last Saturday was finally able to come out. I hadn't intended on ever talking to Sonny again, but this was actually kind of fun, blaming her for everything that had happened. It was all her fault, after all. Why shouldn't I yell at her?

She was opening her mouth to say something back to my latest comment when I felt someone grab both my arms. I wasn't expecting the sudden gesture and nearly fell as they pulled me back into my room, forcing me into one of the only chairs. I watched as Sonny was pushed inside next, struggling all the while against Tawni, trying to get out. Her arms folded over her chest the second she was pushed into the chair beside me and her eyes fell to the ground.

If she wasn't going to look at me, then I wouldn't look at her either. Two could play that game.

"We have something to say to both of you," Portlyn started off as she and Tawni stood in front of Sonny and me. "The reason you're fighting is kind of our fault."

Their fault? No, they had had nothing to do with Sonny and I getting together, or us breaking up, or her kissing Hayden. This was so stupid, the two of them forcing Sonny and I to listen to them like this. All I wanted to do was go home, take a long bath, and throw darts at the copy of Tween Weekly I still had with the cover story of Sonny and Hayden.

"You see, we had a plan that we forced Sonny to go along with," Tawni went on explaining. "The only problem is, she ruined it."

"'Sonny' ruined it?" I watched as her mouth fell open. "'Sonny' did not ruin anything. 'Sonny' did as she was told to do!"

Told to do? A plan she was forced to go along with? Ok, now the three of them had my attention.

"Anyway," Tawni continued, glaring at her cast mate's outburst, "Portlyn showed us that book where you keep track of all the girls you've gone out with, Chad, and-,"

"She what?"

My eyes flew to my old friend (yes, old friend. If she was going around telling everyone my secrets, she was no friend of mine!), and she nodded her head slowly, confirming Tawni's words.

"I only showed her the book because I needed her to agree to try to fall in love with you," she explained, as though that made everything alright again. "Tawni and I thought that if Sonny pretended to fall in love with you, she would realize she really was in love with you."

"What?"

I wasn't the only one who spoke up this time. Sonny cried the word out at the same time I did and, for a second, we let our eyes meet. The confused feeling I felt showed in her eyes. Maybe she'd known what the girls were talking about at first, but now she was just as lost as me.

"We never wanted you to get revenge on Chad for all the girls in that book, Sonny," Tawni spoke up, breaking my trance from Sonny and forcing me to look up again.

"Although that part of the plan did work," Portlyn added, turning to smile at Tawni instead of glare at Sonny and me. "Chad didn't ask anyone out this week!"

Both of them laughed happily, Sonny shook her head back and forth, and I looked from one girl to the next, feeling more puzzled by the second. I climbed to my feet, pointing a finger at Portlyn.

"Let me get this straight," I said slowly. "You showed Sonny and Tawni my book so you could get Sonny to agree she would let me try to win my heart?" When she nodded, I turned my finger to Tawni. "And you knew the real plan was to get Sonny to realize she was really in love with me?" Another nod came and I spun around, my finger jabbing into Sonny's chest. "Aha! You knew nothing about their real plan, did you?"

"No," she replied, pushing away my hand. "Neither of them told me they were just trying to trick me."

"But you did know that you were tricking me?" She turned her eyes to the ground again and I knew I was right. "That's the part I don't understand. Why would you, the nicest girl I've ever met, agree to a plan where you would end up – what was your goal anyway? – making me think you were in love with me?"

"That's the goal she was working toward, yes," Portlyn answered for Sonny, pushing me back into my chair. "She was going to make you believe that and then break up with you on Saturday to show you what you were doing to a different girl every week."

"Right," Tawni agreed, nodding her head. "But we were hoping she would chicken out before Saturday arrived, realizing she was too much in love with you to go through with the plan. Things weren't supposed to turn out like they did."

I spun my chair so it was facing Sonny's, stretching out my legs so I could kick hers. She flew forward with the force of the kick and gave me a death glare once she was sitting up straight again.

"If you didn't know about their real plan, why did you follow through with breaking up with me?" I demanded. "Are you really telling me you had no feelings for me by the end of the week?"

Tawni raised her hand nervously.

"I was the one who made her break up with you," she admitted softly. "She came to me on Saturday and I got so annoyed with her complaining, I stole her phone and said she had to do it before I did it for her."

"Complaining?" I repeated, never taking my eyes off Sonny.

"You said 'we need to talk'," she replied, finally meeting my eyes. "I thought you were going through with your weekly tradition and breaking up with me."

So this whole mess was partly my fault. I felt like hitting my head against the wall as hard as I could. Why had I used those words? It had slipped my mind that those were the words always used right before breaking up with someone. I was so stupid!

"I didn't want to talk to you about breaking up," I sighed, covering my eyes as I remembered back to my mistake.

"You didn't?" Sonny asked, her voice sounding hopeful.

"No. I wanted to tell you my director said he could write Macy in on an episode every now and again, so if you ever wanted to take a break from So Random! and hang out with me for a week or two…"

My voice trailed off and Sonny's mouth fell open. Just like me, she was beginning to realize her mistake.

"Chad, I'm…I'm so, so sorry." She reached out, gently placing her hand on my arm. "This really is all my fault. If I'd listened to you instead of freaking out…I should've listened to you."

Tawni was behind Sonny within seconds, grabbing on to both of her shoulders as she smiled brightly.

"This is the part where Sonny asks for forgiveness," she explained.

I could feel Portlyn approaching me, although when I sent her a look, she didn't touch me.

"It's also the part where Chad says it's time to put this great big fight in the past," she said, lowering her voice like she was trying to be me.

Tawni grabbed Sonny's arms, forcing them out like a person does when they're waiting for a hug.

"And then you two hug," she finished the story, "And everyone lives happily ever after!"

"Not quite."

Portlyn didn't dare stop me from getting to my feet. All three girls watched as I walked toward the door.

"Now I'm mad at all three of you," I told them before turning to each of them in turn. "Portlyn for showing my book, lying about it, and trying to get Sonny to go along with your stupid little plan. Tawni for trying to get Sonny to go along with the plan. Sonny for-,"

I stopped as my eyes fell on the brunette. She was staring up at me, waiting for me to tell her what I was mad about. I didn't want to be mad at all. Everything had been a big misunderstanding and I wanted to do what Portlyn and Tawni said, hugging Sonny like there was no tomorrow as I told her we would never break up again.

Some problems aren't as easy to fix as that. Despite the misunderstanding, she still had gone along with a plan where she was going to break up with me and if she hadn't ended up falling for me instead, the same thing I was going through now would've happened. I couldn't go out with someone who went behind my back.

"I'll catch everyone later," I sighed, pulling open my door. "Goodnight and please remember to turn off the light on your way out."

Maybe someday Sonny and I would be able to slip back into our friendship. It was going to take a lot of work to get back to where we were before, and it would never be anything more than that again. A relationship couldn't happen between us because our trust was gone. How could I trust Sonny again after this? She'd been tricking me all week (still for a reason I didn't understand. Had she succumbed to peer pressure or something?).

No matter how much I loved her, our relationship would be nothing without the truth factor. We were through no matter how much I didn't want to admit it.

Sonny would never by my own personal sonshine again.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Sonny, but until you can change your attitude, you're off the show," Marshall told me Saturday evening right before So Random! was going to air. "Don't worry about someone playing your roles; everyone's been working on different sketches in case you didn't get happy by tonight. I'm sorry I have to do this, but as long as you're happier next week, you're welcome to act again!"

It shouldn't have surprised me I was getting kicked off the show. It was a comedy, after all, and I hadn't laughed even one time during the week. How could I laugh knowing Chad was mad at me?

Sure, things were better between the two of us since Portlyn and Tawni had explained everything to us in Chad's dressing room (I still couldn't believe they'd been tricking me all week, too. I was supposed to fall in love with Chad? Couldn't they have told me that before letting me break up with him?), but things still weren't perfect. He talked to me when he saw me now instead of just glaring, but there was something different about our conversations.

One of us would say something a little too mean or laugh at something a little too long. A silence would fall between us as we waited for one of us to leave, ending the awkwardness.

I could see what he wanted when I looked into his eyes. He wanted the same thing I did: to get back together. But it wasn't going to happen any time soon. I'd done him wrong by agreeing to Portlyn and Tawni's stupid plan exactly two weeks ago (I knew I shouldn't have agreed to it) and he was never going to forgive me for it. It would take something amazing to make him see how sorry I really was.

Wait…I'd tried apologizing to him countless times for going along with the plan, breaking up with him, and kissing Hayden, but every time I tried, all I did was go to his dressing room and pound on the door until he answered and then beg him to listen. What if he needed something more than that? He was Chad Dylan Cooper, star of Mackenzie Falls, the number one hit tween drama. Maybe all he needed was some sort of huge apology.

There was only one way I could think of doing it that had even a chance of working.

Even though I wasn't allowed to be on the show this week, Marshall let me sit in front of the fans in my So Random! chair, watching as my cast mates took care of the show. I wasn't really paying attention to them, but judging by all the laughter coming from behind me, they were doing a pretty good job. I was too busy wondering if I should go through with my plan or not. Marshall may get madder at me than he already was. If he got too mad, he might even kick me off the show. What if Chad wasn't watching the show tonight anyway? He'd never know and I would be risking everything for no reason.

Even if Chad wasn't watching the show, I knew one blonde girl who was. I was counting on her not breaking the chain tonight as I got up from my chair during the final goodbye of the night, the part of the show where Marshall and the cast thanked everyone for coming.

It was time to put everything on the line.

* * *

Kimberly begged me to watch So Random! with her, but I didn't see a point in watching it anymore. I only watched it before to see Sonny and although we were friends again, I no longer had to watch her show to see how great of an actress she was becoming. I'd experienced her acting skills first hand.

When I first heard Kimberly let out a blood-chilling scream, I thought perhaps someone had gotten into the house and was trying to hurt her. When I ran into the living room, my arms out in the only karate pose I knew, there was no one there to fight. Instead, there was only Kimberly, her mouth hanging open as she stared at the television screen.

"What could've happened on a comedy show that made you scream like that?" I asked her, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Sonny hasn't been on the episode all night," Kimberly explained, pointing one tiny finger at the screen. "She's going off the script or something though. Look at that, no one knew she was going to be on stage!"

Just to see what she was talking about (I didn't care why Sonny hadn't been on the episode so far, even though she was the only reason the show was funny), I turned my attention to the television. The curtain was down, Marshall was standing with the four cast members getting ready to say goodbye, and Sonny was pushing her way onto the set, taking the microphone from her director.

Both the studio and the Cooper house fell silent as they waited for Sonny to speak.

"Hey," she started off, smiling into the camera (oh yes, was she ever using her nervous voice). "A lot of you probably noticed I wasn't on the show tonight and are probably wondering why I wasn't. Well, I would like to let you all know that I'm not sick and I'm not injured. I got kicked off the show this week because I spent my time around the set wallowing instead of smiling."

The other five in front of the curtain weren't sure what to do. Marshall tried to take back the mic, but Sonny stepped forward, keeping it out of his reach. The clock above the television set said it was one minute past the time the show was supposed to end, but it wasn't cutting off or showing credits.

They were going to let Sonny talk.

"I did something last week a lot of you won't believe I did," she went on to say, and I could feel my own mouth starting to drop. "A few of my friends convinced me that it would be a good idea to lead someone on. I thought it was a good idea at first. The person they wanted me to lead on…He wasn't the nicest guy in the world and I thought if I went along with the plan my friends had, I could change that. I thought by the end of the week, everything would be great and he would learn his lesson. Yeah, well…I was the one who learned a lesson instead.

"Over the week, I ended up really falling for this guy. He turned out to not be the jerk I thought he was, but rather a really, really nice guy. When he asked me out, I said yes, although I wasn't even thinking about the plan when I agreed to him. I liked him enough that I wanted to date him. At the last minute, I decided to go along with the plan. I broke up with him and he caught me kiss-He caught me in the middle of an embarrassing situation. And now I want to tell him how sorry I am, but he won't listen."

Kimberly looked up at me, lightly tapping my leg with the remote control.

"Wasn't she hanging out with you all last week?" she asked.

"Shh," I hushed her quickly. I didn't want to miss anything Sonny said.

"This is my final attempt at telling him how sorry I am," she went on, and as the camera zoomed in on her face, I saw how hurt her eyes were. "If you're watching this, and you know who you are, then I'm sorry for everything I did to you. I mean it."

She was sorry. She'd taken the microphone right out of her director's hand and made the whole show run late just so she could tell me how sorry she really was.

It was time to talk to her. I wasn't sure what would happen after our conversation; we may be able to talk things out and become boyfriend and girlfriend again, or maybe we'd only talk things out so we were better than we were right now, back to a friendship instead of the awkward stage we seemed to be stuck in. Whatever would come out of it, my heart was beating faster as I reached for my car keys, and I knew I was nervous. This conversation wasn't going to be fun, but anything was better than nothing.

I was at Condor Studios only a few minutes later, parking by the So Random! stage instead of my own. As I rushed inside, my pace fast enough to almost be considered sprinting, I wasn't paying close attention to where I was going. Pulling open the door, I ran into someone standing on the other side.

"Sorry," I apologized, hurrying to get past whomever it was, wanting to get to Sonny. I was forced to stop when a hand grabbed my arm.

"Chad Dylan Cooper?" the person I'd tried to run by asked. "Oh, I was hoping to run into you! I'm Hayden, remember?"

There was Hayden, standing less than a foot from me, easily within my punching range. No one was around, and we were right next to a door. It would've been so easy for me to drag him outside, find a dark ally, and hurt him bad enough to keep him in the hospital for several days.

My hand was curling into a fist when I stopped, trying to control my anger. For now, Hayden wasn't important. I had to get to Sonny as soon as possible. Beating up one of her friends (why did she have to be nice to everyone?) wouldn't sound like a good excuse when I tried telling her why I hadn't shown up to sweep her off her feet immediately.

"I really don't have time to talk right now, Kayden," I said, trying to pull my arm from his grasp. "Maybe some other time, alright?"

"I just wanted to apologize about last week." His words made me stop walking, slowly turning to face him. "Tawni told me how you and Sonny have been going crazy ever since you saw our kiss. I want you to know that Sonny had nothing to do with that. I was the one who kissed her."

Another point Sonny had tried telling me and I hadn't listened to. I would make sure to apologize for that.

"Thank you for telling me," I said, already starting to walk again. "Look, I really have to-,"

"Could you just do me a favor and not tell any magazines about the kiss?" Hayden went on as though I hadn't said a word. "You see, I already have a girlfriend and she wouldn't be very happy if she knew I kissed Sonny."

I stopped again, wondering if I'd heard him correctly.

"You already have a girlfriend?" I asked, waiting for him to nod his head before demanding, "Then why did you kiss Sonny in the first place?"

"She's Sonny Munroe," Hayden replied, as though that was a reason. "Have you seen how cute she is? I would dump my girl in a second if I could get someone like her!"

Wow. Innocent little Hayden was a player. I couldn't wait to tell Sonny that her two-time kisser was only using her because of her looks.

I looked down the hall, knowing Sonny was down there somewhere, waiting for me to show up, wondering if I was going to accept her apology or not. I would find her and set her mind to ease soon. First, I was going to give Hayden a crash course on messing around with girls just for the fun of it. After all, my girl was the one he'd used.

Swinging an arm around his shoulders, I laughed, hoping it sounded real to him. It must've worked because he laughed along with me.

"I totally get what you're saying," I told him. "And you know what? I was talking to Sonny earlier and she asked me to give you a little something from her."

"Really?" He looked much too excited. "What did she ask you to give me?"

"This."

I punched him, he screamed like the girl he was, and then I took off down the hall before anyone caught me at the scene of the crime. It was finally time to see Sonny.

* * *

He wasn't coming. I'd gotten myself kicked off So Random! for two weeks for nothing (when Marshall said I wasn't allowed on the show, he meant it. And he got in trouble for the show running late). Now I didn't have any acting to do or a blonde haired jerk-throb to hang out with. What was the point in hanging around at the studio? The rest of the cast was celebrating their job well done in the Prop House and I was sitting alone in the dressing room, not invited to their party.

I'd only stayed this long because I was giving Chad a chance to show up. When he wasn't there by the time Marshall finished punishing me, I told myself something was wrong with his car and it was taking him awhile to walk. Now, an hour after the show, there was no excuse for him not showing up. He wasn't going to forgive me, and apologizing on live television was the only excuse I could think of that was big enough to get his attention. I was out of luck.

Sighing, I walked out of the dressing room, shutting the door tightly behind me. As I started walking down the hall, I stopped, cocked my head to the side when I saw a pair of legs stretched out in my path, and turned to see that someone was sitting against the wall, cradling their red hand.

"Chad! You're bleeding!"

Despite his anger toward me all week, I found myself kneeling at his side, taking his red hand into my own and trying to find the source of the blood. I couldn't see any cut; maybe the blood was flowing thick enough it covered the evidence? I started trying to rip my shirt, wanting a piece of it I could tie around his hand. The more pressure he had on it, hopefully it would stop bleeding sooner.

"What are you doing, Sonny?" he asked me, watching with curious eyes.

"You need some sort of bandage," I explained, still trying to rip my shirt (who thought material could be so hard to break through?). "Then I'm going to get the studio nurse to check this out and make sure you're alright. You must be bleeding a lot or – why are you laughing?"

Sure enough, as he sat there against the wall, his bleeding hand still in my lap, he was laughing harder than I'd ever heard him laugh before. Maybe the cut was deeper than I thought. Maybe he'd hit his head at the same time and he was becoming delirious. Either way, I had to get him help.

As I started to climb to my feet, encouraging Chad to follow me, he grabbed onto my arm, pulling me back to his side.

"I'm not hurt," he said, going on before I could protest. "This isn't even my blood. Its Hayden's, and before you start going on and on about how I shouldn't have hurt him, it was just a light punch, just enough to give him a small nose bleed. You would think by the way he went on about it I'd broken his entire nose."

I sat there, feeling more than a little confused. Ok, so what if the blood wasn't his? That just meant I didn't have to take him to the nurse. It didn't explain why he was laughing so hard.

"Don't look at me like that," he ordered me, letting his gaze turn to me. "What are you confused about?"

"You're laughing," I informed him, as though he didn't already know that fact. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because I was stupid enough to believe you didn't care about me anymore."

Maybe I was the one who had hit my head. Nothing he was saying or doing made sense to me and that must've been evident on my face because he pulled me closer to him, taking both of my hands in his.

"Sonny, did Portlyn ever tell you why I chose a different girl to go out with every week?" he asked me, his voice serious.

"No, but I thought it was because you liked girls."

He laughed again, giving my hands an extra squeeze.

"When I first started that game, I thought I was doing the female species a favor. I thought the more girls I dated, the more girls I would be able to make happy," he explained. As I opened my mouth to tell him how stupid that was, he nodded his head. "I know, I know, I was stupid for thinking that. Just because every girl in the world wants me doesn't mean I have to date all of them. I'm sure half of them don't deserve to go out with someone as great as me anyway."

"And so returns conceited Chad."

"I am conceited," he agreed, taking me by surprise. "I only care about what I want and now, tonight and every night after this, what I want is you."

I could feel my mouth falling open as I pulled away from him. I sat up as tall as I could, easily able to go over his head since he was slouching down. I stared down into his eyes, needing to know whether or not he was lying.

"Do you mean that?" I asked him, my voice going soft. "After all the fights we've been through, after I went out with you for a day and then broke up with you, after the whole Hayden thing which wasn't my fault at all-,"

I stopped talking when he put his finger over my lips.

"Since you've arrived here in Hollywood I've been playing my game every week simply because I was trying to convince myself I didn't need you, that the feelings I felt were nothing more than friendship," he said, letting his finger linger. "But I have to face the truth. I love you, Sonny Munroe, and I have for a long time now. I don't care about the past, the trick that you played on me, Hayden…All of that is in the past. If you're willing, I would rather step into the future."

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. No way was this happening.

"What about our shows?" I asked, my voice coming out too fast. "Our casts hate each other, remember?"

"Portlyn and Tawni worked together to make this happen," he argued. "I think they'll be able to get over it."

"I dumped you."

"Only to break me from a stupid habit."

"I tricked you all week long."

"And you think I've never tricked you before?"

I opened my mouth to say something else. I was rambling on and on, something I did all the time when I was either excited or nervous. In this case, I was both. Chad had just admitted he was in love with me and was willing to take me back, even after everything that had happened. He was willing to start over again.

This time, if I said yes, we would be in a real relationship. It would be my first real relationship with anyone. When I was a girl dreaming about a boyfriend, I never thought it would end up being the star of Mackenzie Falls.

Before I could ask another question, Chad spoke up, rolling those blue eyes of his.

"Are you going to come up with excuses all night long or tell me you'll go out with me again?" he asked, taking my hands in his for the second time.

"Of course I'll go out with you again, but-,"

He shut me up when he put his lips on top of mine. My excuses were forgotten as I became lost in everything that was Chad Dylan Cooper, his lips, his hands as they caressed me, the feeling shooting through me I never wanted to lose again. I had to force myself to pull away from him.

"Do you think your director could write in Macy again for the next two weeks? I got kicked off my show for apologizing to you, and if I'm not filming I won't have an excuse to come down here every day and then I won't be able to see you."

"We can't have that, now can we?" Chad chuckled, trying to pull me in again. I had one last thing to say.

"For the record," I said as he sighed, starting to get angry. I couldn't help but laugh as I brushed his hair from his eyes. "I love you, too, Chad Dylan Cooper."

I came to the conclusion as we sat there in the hallway, hoping no one would walk over and see the two of us, that some bad habits can have the best endings. For example, Chad had the worst habit in the world, breaking one heart every single week. But he was never going to do it again and I was more than happy to help him through the therapy of his lose.

He was mine now, and the first time he let me into his dressing room, I was getting rid of his C.O.W. book. He wasn't going to need it any longer.


	10. Astonishing Anniversaries

And finally, here is the final chapter of COW.

Thanks so much for reading and review! It was my pleasure to upload it for you guys. You're all amazing!

Oh yeah, this chapter takes place a year after Catchy Conclusions.

Be on the look out for COW's sequeal, BULL!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. But I am hungry. So I'm just going to upload this, go find food, and let you guys take care of the reviewing. Thanks again!

* * *

Astonishing Anniversaries

The dressing room door was open so Tawni and I could hear the shouts long before we could see our two male cast mates. We'd both been answering fan mail, taking a break from everything to spend some time together. Chad and I spent almost every moment together, whether he was on my set or I was on his, and he seemed reluctant when I asked him for one girl's only night.

"Does it have to be tonight?" he'd begged me, looking like I'd just told him we were heading to a funeral. "I thought Tawni didn't even like you."

"Actually, she's been better now that you've been keeping me out of her hair," I tried explaining. "Besides, it'll only be for one night. You're Chad Dylan Cooper. I'm sure you can find something to keep you busy."

He had sighed loudly and I knew I was winning. Just like before we started dating, the two of us could fight pretty heavily when we wanted to. We drove both our casts crazy sometimes when we went several hours, days, one time even weeks, before apologizing to each other, instead spending our time bashing the other behind their back. Many, many times the casts stepped in, working together to force Chad and me to make up.

Although the rivalry between So Random! and Mackenzie Falls was still alive, it wasn't as bad as it had been when I arrived at Condor Studios. Nico and Grady no longer had to gasp every time they heard Chad's name and Portlyn backed Chad up when he scolded his cast for making fun of the comedy. Everything was far from perfect; Mackenzie Falls still had higher ratings and their snobby attitudes because of it and So Random! still believed the other cast could use a crash course in comedy. As long as Chad and I were willing to try working things out, they were, too (or at least they were good at pretending to try).

As I watched Chad's demeanor fall when I asked for permission to spend a night with Tawni, I knew he was going to say yes. It was with a smile that I stood as tall as I could, kissing his cheek.

"I'm yours tomorrow night," I promised as I whispered in his ear, smiling at the look of happiness he gave me. "So, do you know where Portlyn is?"

"Portlyn?" he repeated me. "What do you need her for?"

"I want to invite her to hang out with me and Tawni and Zora," I replied, stepping around him. "Never mind, I know where her dressing room is. I'll go get her myself."

I only got to take a few steps before Chad was grabbing my arm, forcing me to stop beside him.

"Why don't you make it a So Random! Girl's night?" he suggested. "You're already leaving me; can't I keep one friend?"

Knowing Chad was perfectly capable of making other plans for one night without needing Portlyn, I wanted to tell him no. Portlyn and Tawni had been talking a lot since their plan to push Chad and me together (stupid C.O.W. book) and I knew they would both have fun hanging out with me for a night. But when Chad looked down at me with those eyes, silently begging me to let him have his way, there was no way I could keep myself from giving in.

'Stupid blue eyes,' I thought as I walked off his set, no invite for Portlyn left behind. 'I thought I would learn how to say no by now, but those stupid eyes still mess with me just as much as they did in the beginning. I wonder why only one of them sparkles?'

Now, with all thoughts about Chad out of my head so I could enjoy my time with Tawni (Zora declined her invite, saying she already had plans), it was nice to be able to just sit around our dressing room, reading the fan mail I hadn't had a chance to go through in forever. I was hoping for a peaceful night.

Something about the loud shouts Nico and Grady sent down the hall told me the peace was about to end.

"You two better have a good reason for being here," Tawni said as both boys ran in, nearly tripping over each other as they tried to stop. "I was right in the middle of reading a very important letter!"

"Uh, Tawni?" Nico walked up behind the tween queen, reading the fan letter over her shoulder. "You do realize all that letter says is 'You're so pretty!' in all capital letters, right?"

"Like I said," she told him, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "I'm in the middle of a VERY important, and true, letter!"

Nico rolled his eyes and I laughed as I stood from my chair, joining my cast and happily swinging an arm around Nico and Grady's shoulders. With all my Chad time, I didn't get to hang out with the two of them as often as I used to either and I missed the trouble they always seemed to be getting into.

"Maybe you guys should take off," I suggested to them, pushing them toward the door. "We wouldn't want to make too much noise and cause Tawni to miss a word while she's reading. She might think the letter says 'You're so ugly!"'

I was the only one who started laughing (why was I the only one who found most of my jokes funny?). Nico and Grady ducked out from beneath my arms as Tawni climbed from her seat, smiling at me sweetly. My laughter stopped as she closed the gap between us, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Sonny," she stated my name, letting out a fake chuckle. For a moment, I wondered if she was going to dig her fingernails into my skin. "Sweetie. I said I was reading _my_ fan mail, not _yours_."

Why had I given up a night with Chad for her sake? My reasoning was lost as my eyes narrowed and I opened my mouth to fight back.

Grady forced his way between us, placing each hand out at arm's length, making sure Tawni and I couldn't kill each other. He looked back and forth between us, the expression on his face scared.

"We didn't come here to start a fight," he explained before smiling, like an idea had just come to him. "Although if that's what the two of you want, why should I stop you?"

He stepped out of the way again only to receive a slap from Nico.

"Why are you letting them fight?" the taller of the two boys demanded. "We came to ask them for help, not to watch them fight to the death!"

My attention turned away from Tawni (like I was really going to fight with her. Didn't my cast realize yet I was too nice for that kind of thing?). I became curious as I asked, "What do you need our help with?"

"It's Zora," Nico answered, still shaking his head at Grady. "I guess she finally got stuck in one of the vents. We can hear her shouting, but we have no idea how to get her out."

I could feel my mouth fall open in shock.

"That's horrible!" I exclaimed before running past everyone into the hallway, stopping when I realized they weren't following me. "Come on, aren't you going to help me rescue her?"

Tawni sighed as she joined me, her pace much slower than the one I wanted to go at. Grady looked disappointed as well.

"That might've been our only chance of ever seeing a real chick-fight," he told Nico, finally giving his reasoning behind stepping out of the way, ready to let Tawni and I fight. "I always wanted to see two girls fight, although I heard it's better when the fight takes place in the mud…"

When I turned to Tawni, she was returning the look, nodding her head at my unasked question.

"On the count of three," she said as we both lifted a hand into the air. "Three!"

At the same time, we punched Grady on opposite sides, smiling as he let out a whimper of pain. Nico laughed, shrugging when Grady gave him a 'why didn't you help me?' look.

"Sorry, G," he said, trying to stop his laughter long enough to speak, "But you deserved that one!"

"Come on," I changed the topic. "What room were you guys in when you heard Zora? We have to try to find a way to get her down!"

Nico led the way, Tawni and I following close behind with Grady bringing up the rear, still complaining about being hit. I was already thinking of ways to help Zora out of the vent (she was always going through them and she hadn't gotten stuck before; why was today any different?), wondering if I would be too big to crawl in after her or if sending her butter and having her become as slippery as she could with it would work. If everything failed, I could always call Chad. Maybe he would have something to use on his set and we wouldn't have to ask Marshall for help, perhaps getting ourselves into trouble (I doubted playing in the vents was considered a safe place to hang out).

As Nico power walked through the halls, he explained that he and Grady had been playing video games in the Prop House when they heard a voice that wasn't coming from the television's speakers. Zora had told them about her situation and asked them to find help as quickly as they could.

Once the Prop House was in sight, I could feel my pace quickening as I passed Nico, the urgency to rescue my fellow cast mate growing stronger by the second. I noticed there was no light shining through the open door.

"You turned the lights out on her?"

"She's stuck in a vent," Nico shrugged. "What does she need the light on for?"

Even if Zora was stuck in the vent, if the boys were able to hear her shouts, she was probably close enough to the opening that she could see the lights. What was she thinking now that they were off? Was she afraid? Did she think Nico and Grady were going to leave her instead of getting the help she requested? Why had the two of them turned the light off anyway? As far as I knew, it was always kept on until everyone left at night. Was Mr. Condor finally getting firm about wasting energy?

Not wanting to think about how scared Zora had to be, I found myself running the last few feet left before reaching the Prop House. I ran in ahead of my cast, using the wall to stop my feet as I ran my fingers along it, searching for the light switch. Finally I found it and waited the few seconds it took before the room filled with light, ready to call out Zora's name and listen for her answer.

"Surprise!"

I nearly fell over when I heard the shout, reaching up and covering my mouth to keep from screaming. There was no need for me to call out Zora's name; she was standing near the front of the huge throng of people, all of whom started clapping as they watched my reaction to their shout and sudden presence.

Besides Zora, Chad and the rest of the Mackenzie Falls cast were gathered in the Prop House, along with actors I recognized from the other shows filmed at the studio. Everyone seemed to be crowded inside, including Josh (the mail delivery boy) and even Marshall. In the doorway behind me, Nico, Grady, and Tawni watched the scene before them, all three laughing at me.

My eyes swept around the room as I kept my mouth covered, unsure yet what my reaction was supposed to be. Why were they all gathered in the room and trying to surprise me? All the cardboard cut-outs of Chad from his last birthday party were around as decorations, only this time, a few of me were added with a lot of new ones containing the both of us together. A huge cake was in front of all the people with the word Congratulations! covering the whole length. Balloons were everywhere with colorful streamers and there were brightly wrapped packages on the counter.

Chad stepped forward from the group, looking proud of himself as he wrapped me into a tight hug. I let him do it, still feeling more than a little confused. He must've noticed that when he let me go because his smile fell.

"What's wrong?" he asked, the worry clear on his face. "Do you not like it?"

"No, no, that's not it at all," I set his mind to ease, shaking my head back and forth quickly. "I just…why is everyone…what, exactly, are we celebrating?"

I couldn't think of the right question to ask. I didn't want to hurt Chad's feeling by asking (obviously the party was for me), but I was out of luck. If I wanted to know the real reason behind the huge ordeal, I had to ask.

"You don't remember?" His voice was sad enough to break my heart and I wished I could take back my words. "You really don't remember, do you, Sonny?"

"Chad, I-,"

He took my shoulders, turning me so my back was to him and so my eyes were on the wall.

"Maybe that will remind you," he whispered, his lips too close to my ear.

A huge banner hung across the wall, part of it showing the Mackenzie Falls logo with the So Random! one farther down. Between the two logos were the words I needed to spark my memory:

Happy One Year Anniversary, Sonny and Chad!

I started running through dates in my head quickly. No way could the sign be right. Chad and I hadn't been going out for a year yet. Only a few months ago had my cast thrown me a party celebrating one year with them. Chad and I hadn't started going out until after that-

Wait…Chad had asked me out after only a few months of flirting with me and driving me crazy. The party my cast had thrown me had been a few months ago. It was a Saturday when Chad and I started our relationship, and today was Sunday, which would be the case if it was a year later.

Oh my goodness. I had totally and completely forgotten my own anniversary!

"Chad," I said as I turned to face him again. "I am so, so sor-,"

I didn't get a chance to finish my apology. Nico and Grady spotted the cake and took off running, Tawni and Portlyn went to find some music, and the crowd moved forward as everyone came in to talk to Chad and me, clapping us on our backs and shaking our hands and occasionally even hugging us. I smiled through it all, but my mind wasn't on the party.

Chad hadn't only remembered the day he'd asked me out, but he also threw me the greatest part on the face of the planet (even Selena Gomez was there and boy did she have a lot to say about the whole 'relationship wizard' thing). He was the best boyfriend ever!

Then there was me, little Sonny Munroe from Wisconsin, the small town girl new to Hollywood who everyone only knew the name of because of my relationship with Chad Dylan Cooper. Not only did I forget about our anniversary, but I had begged Chad to give me the night off so I could spend it with my girls. How horrible was I?

I needed to think of a way to make it up to him. In order to do that, I needed to talk to Tawni or Portlyn.

With Chad at my side, I couldn't find an opportunity to slip away from him. I desperately wanted to get the advice I needed, to find someway to make it up to him by the end of the night, but the hold he had around my waist wasn't lessening at all. The people wanting to talk to us (and of course, they wanted to speak to us together) didn't stop coming forward all night. Did we really have to be in such a large friend group?

When Nico and Grady came up to let Chad know they had told me the Zora story to trick me into coming to the Prop House just as he'd apparently asked them to do, I figured it was as good a time as any to get away.

"I think I'm going to leave the three of you to talk," I said, gently taking Chad's arm from me, placing it back at his side. "I see someone I want to talk to."

"Why don't I go with you?" Chad suggested, taking a step forward as I did.

"No, no, no," I protested, putting my hands on his chest. "It's kind of a…private…conversation. I'll be right back though, ok? I promise."

He took my hand in his, keeping it until I was as far away as our arms would let us reach. Even then, I felt him give my fingers an extra squeeze and I felt even worse about having to leave him. How many other things was I going to do to hurt him tonight before I would learn my lesson?

To my surprise, Tawni and Portlyn were still hanging out together. They didn't notice me when I first walked up, standing with their backs against the present-filled counter as they watched a group of boys who were on Tween Gladiator. Both girls giggled and waved when one of the boys turned to look at them. He smiled back nervously before returning to his friends, not looking to the girls again.

"Sorry to interrupt your flirting time," I started speaking, sending both Tawni and Portlyn into surprised jumps, "But I really need your help!"

"What could possibly be wrong?" Portlyn asked, motioning around the room. "Your boyfriend is throwing you a party beyond parties; shouldn't you be happy?"

"I am happy. I'm so happy, I'm happy about how happy I am!" I replied, which was the truth. I was happy Chad cared enough about me to throw a party almost as big as the one he'd thrown for his birthday. "The problem is, I forgot today was our anniversary. I didn't get Chad a present."

Tawni started laughing loudly (that red liquid in the glass was punch, right?) as she walked to my side, slapping my shoulder.

"Oh, Sonny! No one actually keeps track of their anniversaries!" she explained, still laughing like the words she was saying were the most obvious ones in the world. "Well, other than your boyfriend. But he keeps track of everything involving him. He probably even remembers the first time he wore a diaper and-,"

Thankfully, Portlyn cut Tawni's sentence off, reaching over me to take the glass from her hands.

"Either she's crazy tonight or someone spiked this stuff," she said, bringing the glass to her lips as she breathed in the smell, shrugging her shoulders afterwards. "As for you and Chad, I wouldn't worry about it. I was talking to him earlier and his only concern was whether or not you would like this party. I don't think he's expecting anything from you."

"I don't care if he's expecting something or not," I told her. "He threw me this whole party. I would look awful not giving him anything in return!"

"If it means that much to you, take Chad off alone and give him something special."

"Something special?" I repeated her. "Like what?"

She glared at me, Tawni laughed again, and I felt my jaw drop as I caught on to what the two of them were talking about. By 'take Chad off alone' they meant-

"Come on, Sonny!" Nico and Grady appeared at my sides, each of them grabbing an arm. "It's time to open presents!"

Chad was already sitting on the couch, all the guests behind him, the presents no longer on the counter, instead on the table in front of him. Little Kimberly was sitting on his lap (how did I not notice my favorite female Cooper?) and she stretched out her arms to hug me once Nico and Grady forced me to sit, my body landing so close to Chad's it was impossible to not have our legs touch. I tried to ignore the feeling shooting through my body as I returned Kimberly's hug.

Unwrapping the presents seemed to take forever (did everyone have to remember my anniversary but me?). Chad let his sister tear the paper off most of them and then he and I would both smile and thank whoever the giver was. I have to say, our guests did have interesting taste: lipstick the same brand Tawni used (given to me by my blonde cast mate), a meat launcher (from Zora, who explained we could use it next time we had another fight), a coupon to try a new sandwich (Nico and Grady gave that one, claiming this one would surely be good enough to beat Chad's. He quietly muttered to me that there wasn't a chance of that happening), a copy of the episode of So Random! Chad guest-starred on (Marshall was in tears as he hugged the two Coopers and me, not believing he was the one to get the two of us together. He really wasn't, but neither of us fought him), a mirror (Portlyn said that way Chad could use it when he wanted to see himself or the two of us could use it at the same time to remember how cute we were), a card (from Selena, with a message claiming she'd been right all along) and many, many more from everyone else, too many names and items for me to remember.

There was only one present left on the table when Kimberly leaned forward, Chad needing to grab her waist to keep her from falling to the floor. She grabbed the last package, putting it into my hands instead of keeping it in hers.

"I want you to open this one, Sonny," she explained, grinning from ear to ear. "It's from me!"

"Aw, you and Chad worked together to buy me something?" I asked, returning the smile.

"I didn't help her with that," Chad informed me. "My present to you is this party. I have no idea what Kimberly got you."

Now I was confused. Kimberly was just a little girl. How had she gotten the money, much less a driver, to buy Chad and I a present? She was smiling up at me brightly though, waiting for me to open the present. Exchanging a look with Chad, I starting pulling off the paper.

Underneath was a book, one that looked only too familiar to me. The book was black and in a faux leather material. On the cover, in all capital gold letters, three letters stood:

C.D.C.

I tried to hide the book before Chad could see it, quickly putting it on my other side. I wasn't fast enough; he'd seen the letters and his eyes narrowed.

"What was on that book?" he asked firmly.

"What book?" I laughed nervously, covering Kimberly's mouth as she started to answer the question for me. "I don't see any books!"

Everyone seemed to realize something was going on. The room fell silent as all eyes fell on the couch, waiting to see what would happen. Even I knew it wasn't a good thing when Chad continued to glare.

"Sonny."

"Chad."

"I think we need to talk."

Without another word, the crowd began moving toward the door. I stood up, shaking my head as I gave my hand to Kimberly, helping her off Chad's lap so he could move as well.

"I think this will be much easier if we go into the hallway instead of all of you leaving," I said, stopping the crowd as Chad and I walked through them, the black book in one hand, the other in Chad's. "Just in case I don't make it back alive, thanks for coming, everyone!"

He pulled me out of the room before I could say another word.

We didn't walk all the way over to the Mackenzie Falls set, but we did walk into another hallway. My guess was Chad wanted to be far enough away that no one would hear him if he began yelling at me. I had a feeling a lot of yelling was going to be taking place soon.

The book in my hands was the thing used to get Chad and I together a year ago. It was his C.O.W. book, something I was hoping I would never have to see again. I'd taken it from his dressing room ages ago, bringing it back to my house (hiding it in the dressing room would be too easy for Tawni to find it) and putting it in the bottom drawer of my dresser beneath a pile of clothes I never wore anymore. No one was supposed to find it again, but apparently Kimberly had gone through my room one of the many nights she had come over. My goal was to only show Chad the book if he asked to see it, meaning he realized it was missing. Otherwise, I was off the hook.

Now that the book was in my hands, Chad was going to take one look at it and know exactly what it was. He would also know I'd stolen it from him. He was going to be mad at me for taking it, maybe even mad enough to break up with me.

It was horrible, breaking up after exactly one year of dating, but I deserved to lose him. I hadn't even remembered an important date for the two of us. I shouldn't be going out with Chad Dylan Cooper. He would be much better off with some girl who would bow to his every need and remember every little detail. He deserved someone a lot better than me.

Once we were what Chad considered a safe distance from the Prop House, he let go of my hand, turning so he was facing me. Without saying a word, he extended his hand toward me, waiting for me to hand over the book.

"I really love the party, Chad," I tried to change the topic, giving him my best smile. "It's so great how you got so many people to show up! And the music selection is just amazing! We should really get back in there and cut into that delicious cake!"

I turned around, heading back the way we'd come. Chad picked that moment to reach for the book, easily pulling it from my grasp. I faced him again, nervously twisting my fingers together.

"Before you say anything, I'm sorry for taking your book," I apologized, wondering if it was too late to dig myself out of the hole a little bit. "I know it was wrong of me to take it and I'll totally understand if you hate me forever. I just didn't think you would need it anymore since we're going out. Well…we were going out, anyway. I get it if you want to break up…Chad? Are you listening to me?"

Through my entire speech Chad didn't look up from the book. When he first studied the cover, his brow was wrinkled and he seemed confused, like he had no idea what was inside it. After reading through the first few pages, slowly his brow straightened out and his lips formed a smile. I could only imagine what he was thinking about. I was sure he was reading through all the names, remembering the girls who'd come before me.

Maybe he was even thinking of the girl who was going to come after me since we were probably breaking up any minute now.

"This is the book of every girl I've ever liked," he told me, flipping from page to page too fast to actually read them. "I was wondering where this book went!"

"I stole it months ago," I explained, sighing loudly, knowing I was in trouble. He had missed it; he just never told me because he thought there was no way I would be the thief. "You might as well keep it now. You'll need it for the next girl."

Finally, I had Chad's attention. I turned my back to him again, but this time, I heard the book slam shut. He ran in front of me, standing in my path, taking my chin in his free hand and forcing me to look at him.

"What do you mean I'll need this for the next girl? There isn't going to be another one," he said.

"Don't you want to break up?" I was confused as I searched his eyes, wondering if he was lying. "I stole the stupid book from you, I forgot today was our anniversary, I asked you for a girl's night when you begged me to spend time with you…How could you still like me after all that?"

As though he could find the answer inside the book, Chad opened it to the back pages. Wondering what he was going to do, I let him block my path, not even trying to get around him as I waited for him to speak.

"'Selective Sunday,"' he started, and I realized he wasn't coming up with the words, but was reading them from the pages. "'Sonny Munroe is picked as new girl. She nearly faints when I touch her."'

Despite the fact the book had been in my room for a long time, I'd never read any of it. Other than the night Portlyn had shown it to Tawni and me, I'd never looked inside it. Whatever Chad wrote was his business, not mine, and if he ever wanted to tell me about his other girlfriends, I figured he would do it. There was no need for me to read through the book and spy on him.

He was reading my week to me. He was letting me know exactly what had been going through his head the week he tried to win me over, the week I ended up falling for him even though I fought it as hard as I could.

He was taking me back to the week I already remembered so well.

"'Munroe Monday,"' he went on, his voice speeding up as he rushed. "'Sonny lets me come over to her house and we spend the night with her mom going through old pictures and stories. I kiss her hair in the hallway as we say goodnight but I don't get any sleep once I get home. I can't stop thinking about her.

"'Twizzle Tuesday. I plan to take her and her mother ice skating, but she finds out and invites my family along, too. I am ready to kill Bryson when he takes her away from me, but I know better than to bother the two of them. Not only will Bryson beat me up for it later, but I may end up fighting for her, something I know she wouldn't like. When I can't take it any longer, I send Kimberly out to find her. She pushes an ice cream cone into my nose and for some reason, I laugh along with her.

"'Waterfall Wednesday. I take Sonny to the waterfall that Mackenzie Falls is based off and ask her out. She requests time to think about it and I agree to it, but not before making her agree I get to win her over. When I try to kiss her, she turns away, but we make up for it when we trip as we hike back to my car, both of us blushing furiously at the stance we find ourselves in. I text her later that night, once again unable to get her off my mind.

"'Take-Along Thursday. Sonny comes with me to a Hollywood party, but when I am forced to do an interview, she starts dancing with Kiss Cam guy. We fight, it's not a good night, and I know I must make up for it tomorrow.

"'Falling Through Friday. The day I get to ask Sonny out again and I hope she has fallen through by now. To make up for last night, I send her flowers of every color, rent a horse and suit of armor, and take her for a ride around the studio. She kisses my cheek and agrees when I ask her out for dinner. We go for a walk afterwards and the fireworks spell out my question for me. She answers with something better than a yes or no; she kisses me on the lips this time."'

Remembering what happened on Saturday of that week, I tried to walk past Chad, but he grabbed my arm, not allowing me to walk.

"Chad, I really don't want to hear this-,"

"'Smack-down Saturday,"' Chad went on, and I flinched at his title. "'Sonny runs in the water from the fire alarm, looking more beautiful than I have ever seen her before. I join her and we end up falling together, sharing another magical kiss. A few minutes later, she breaks up with me and I catch her kissing Kiss Cam guy. My heart feels like its going to fall out of my chest."'

That was the part I didn't want to hear. I didn't want to hear how much I had hurt him that day. It had all ended up a huge misunderstanding between us and it was a day I didn't like to think about when I could help it.

I had broken up with him, and now tonight, he was going to do the same to me. To be honest, I didn't see why he was putting if off so long. Why couldn't he just say the words we both knew he was going to say so we could get on with our lives?

"I'm not done yet," Chad said, stopping me for what had to be the third time when I tried to walk down the hall. "'Catchy Conclusions. A week later, Portlyn and Tawni straighten everything out. They were tricking Sonny, she was tricking me, and I have no future with her after knowing the truth. She apologizes to me, getting kicked off her show because of it, and I know I need to talk to her. When I run into Kiss Cam boy, I punch him and when Sonny sees the blood on me, she rushes to help and I see that despite the trick she was playing on me at first, she really does care about me. We kiss and I know I am lost. I am hers forever."'

A silence fell between us as Chad shut the book, turning his attention to me. He looked at me, waiting for me to speak.

"What?" I asked, shrugging. "Was that your long way of telling me we're over?"

As his answer, Chad threw the book to the floor, using his hands to pull me closer to him. He didn't hug me this time but instead kissed me. I wasn't quite sure what to think about it; why was he kissing me if we were just going to break up?

"You missed the point, Sonny," he said when he let me go, keeping his forehead pressed against mine. "It doesn't matter to me if you forgot about today, or if you forget again next year, or if you forget every year for the rest of our lives! You'll never do anything bad enough to make me let you go. Do you understand?"

I could feel the tears starting to gather in my eyes, but I pushed them away, trying my best to keep them in. The last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of Chad but with him being so cute and saying all the right words…..

"Really, Chad?" I forced my voice to say. "You really mean that?"

"Really, Sonny. I never plan on us breaking up again, and I always get what I want. I'm Chad Dylan Cooper, remember?"

Laughing, I let my arms wrap around Chad's neck as I hugged him tightly. He brushed away my tears before taking my hand and pulling me back to the Prop House where we stood among our friends, the two of us working together to cut the cake. He shoved a piece into my face and I returned the favor; it wasn't long before the whole room joined in.

As cake flew over our heads, Chad pulled me onto the couch, leaning protectively over me so any cake that landed near us would hit his body instead of mine. I laughed at his cake covered face and he laughed back at mine, but I found a simple way to shut him up.

"I won't forget next year," I promised him as the screaming continued, Tawni's protests the easiest to make out. "And to make up for this year, I'll give you something that will top this party."

"Good luck with that," he said sarcastically. "No one tops Chad Dylan Cooper."

"You're right. No one tops Chad Dylan Cooper…But he'll still lie if it means making Sonny Munroe happy, which letting her top this party would certainly do."

Chad shook his head, brushing a strand of my hair from my face even though I was on my back and it was already out of the way.

"Happy anniversary, Munroe."

"Happy anniversary, Cooper."

Zora picked that moment to pop up beside us, throwing a huge piece of cake into Chad's face. He jumped away from me, chasing her around the room in a quest to get his revenge. Portlyn grabbed my arm, bringing me back into the fight as well.

I couldn't have asked for a better night than this.


End file.
